ἰξός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

An old cultural word, identical with Latin viscum (“mistletoe”), thus implying a pre-form *ϝιξ(ο-) (*wix(o-)). It has been compared with Proto-Slavic *višьňa (“sour cherry”) and Proto-Germanic *wīhsilō (“sour cherry”). Chantraine considers a common derivation from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱs-, but, according to Beekes, given its structure and limited distribution it is likely a loanword from a European substrate.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ik.sós/ → /ikˈsos/ → /ikˈsos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ik.sós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ikˈsos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ikˈsos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ikˈsos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ikˈsos/

Noun

ἰξός • (ixós) m (genitive ἰξοῦ); second declension

1. European mistletoe (Viscum album)

   Synonym: ὕφεαρ (húphear)

2. mistletoe berry
3. birdlime prepared from the mistletoe berry
4. oak gum, used for the same purpose
5. (in general) any sticky substance
6. (figuratively) skinflint, miser

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἰξός; τοῦ ἰξοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἰξός ho ixós	τὼ ἰξώ tṑ ixṓ	οἱ ἰξοί hoi ixoí
Genitive	τοῦ ἰξοῦ toû ixoû	τοῖν ἰξοῖν toîn ixoîn	τῶν ἰξῶν tôn ixôn
Dative	τῷ ἰξῷ tôi ixôi	τοῖν ἰξοῖν toîn ixoîn	τοῖς ἰξοῖς toîs ixoîs
Accusative	τὸν ἰξόν tòn ixón	τὼ ἰξώ tṑ ixṓ	τοὺς ἰξούς toùs ixoús
Vocative	ἰξέ ixé	ἰξώ ixṓ	ἰξοί ixoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἰξεύω (ixeúō)
• ἰξία (ixía)
• ἰξίον (ixíon)
• ἰξοβόλος (ixobólos)
• ἰξοβόρος (ixobóros)
• ἰξοειδές (ixoeidés)
• ἰξοεργός (ixoergós)
• ἰξόομαι (ixóomai)
• ἰξοποιέω (ixopoiéō)
• ἰξοφάγος (ixophágos)
• ἰξοφόρος (ixophóros)
• ἰξώδης (ixṓdēs)
• ἰξῐ́ᾱς (ixíās)
• ἰξῑ́νη (ixī́nē)

 

Descendants

• Greek: ιξός (ixós)
• → Ottoman Turkish: اوكسه (ökse)
  • Turkish: ökse
  • → Armenian: էօքսէ (ēōkʻsē)
  • → Azerbaijani: öksə

Further reading

• “ἰξός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἰξός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἰξός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette