ὀφθαλμός

See also: οφθαλμός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Possibly a compound of ὄψ (óps, “eye”) +‎ θάλαμος (thálamos, “chamber”), but note the usual ancient Greek word for eye is the similar ὤψ (ṓps), with a long /o/. According to Beekes, of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /opʰ.tʰal.mós/ → /oɸ.θalˈmos/ → /of.θalˈmos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /opʰ.tʰal.mós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /opʰ.tʰalˈmos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /oɸ.θalˈmos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /of.θalˈmos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /of.θalˈmos/

Noun

ὀφθᾰλμός • (ophthalmós) m (genitive ὀφθᾰλμοῦ); second declension

1. eye

   Synonym: ὤψ (ṓps)

   1. (in the singular) eye of a master or ruler
   2. eye of heaven
   3. that which is dearest or best; light, cheer, comfort
   4. (botany) eye, bud (such as the eye of a potato)
   5. (surgery) surgical bandage covering one or both eyes
   6. (architecture, in the dual) disks forming the centers of the volutes of an Ionic capital
   7. (Byzantine) a kind of stone
   8. (Byzantine) water inlet of a mill
2. sight

   Synonyms: ὅρᾱσῐς (hórāsis), εἶδος (eîdos)

3. understanding

   Synonym: σῠ́νεσῐς (súnesis)

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ὀφθᾰλμός; τοῦ ὀφθᾰλμοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὀφθᾰλμός ho ophthalmós	τὼ ὀφθᾰλμώ tṑ ophthalmṓ	οἱ ὀφθᾰλμοί hoi ophthalmoí
Genitive	τοῦ ὀφθᾰλμοῦ toû ophthalmoû	τοῖν ὀφθᾰλμοῖν toîn ophthalmoîn	τῶν ὀφθᾰλμῶν tôn ophthalmôn
Dative	τῷ ὀφθᾰλμῷ tôi ophthalmôi	τοῖν ὀφθᾰλμοῖν toîn ophthalmoîn	τοῖς ὀφθᾰλμοῖς toîs ophthalmoîs
Accusative	τὸν ὀφθᾰλμόν tòn ophthalmón	τὼ ὀφθᾰλμώ tṑ ophthalmṓ	τοὺς ὀφθᾰλμούς toùs ophthalmoús
Vocative	ὀφθᾰλμέ ophthalmé	ὀφθᾰλμώ ophthalmṓ	ὀφθᾰλμοί ophthalmoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ὀφθᾰλμός; ὀφθᾰλμοῦ (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὀφθᾰλμός ophthalmós	ὀφθᾰλμώ ophthalmṓ	ὀφθᾰλμοί ophthalmoí
Genitive	ὀφθᾰλμοῦ / ὀφθᾰλμοῖο / ὀφθᾰλμόο ophthalmoû / ophthalmoîo / ophthalmóo	ὀφθᾰλμοῖῐν ophthalmoîin	ὀφθᾰλμῶν ophthalmôn
Dative	ὀφθᾰλμῷ ophthalmôi	ὀφθᾰλμοῖῐν ophthalmoîin	ὀφθᾰλμοῖσῐ / ὀφθᾰλμοῖσῐν / ὀφθᾰλμοῖς ophthalmoîsi(n) / ophthalmoîs
Accusative	ὀφθᾰλμόν ophthalmón	ὀφθᾰλμώ ophthalmṓ	ὀφθᾰλμούς ophthalmoús
Vocative	ὀφθᾰλμέ ophthalmé	ὀφθᾰλμώ ophthalmṓ	ὀφθᾰλμοί ophthalmoí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• αἰγόφθᾰλμος (aigóphthalmos)
• αἰλουρόφθᾰλμος (ailouróphthalmos)
• αἰωνόφθᾰλμος (aiōnóphthalmos)
• γερᾰνόφθᾰλμος (geranóphthalmos)
• γλαυκόφθᾰλμος (glaukóphthalmos)
• γοργόφθᾰλμος (gorgóphthalmos)
• δῠσόφθᾰλμος (dusóphthalmos)
• ἐξόφθᾰλμος (exóphthalmos)
• ἑτερόφθᾰλμος (heteróphthalmos)
• εὐόφθᾰλμος (euóphthalmos)
• ἡδῠόφθᾰλμος (hēduóphthalmos)
• κοιλόφθᾰλμος (koilóphthalmos)
• λευκόφθᾰλμος (leukóphthalmos)
• λοξόφθᾰλμος (loxóphthalmos)
• λᾰγώφθᾰλμος (lagṓphthalmos)
• λᾰμπρόφθᾰλμος (lampróphthalmos)
• λῑρόφθᾰλμος (līróphthalmos)
• λῠκόφθᾰλμος (lukóphthalmos)
• μεγᾰλόφθᾰλμος (megalóphthalmos)
• μελᾰνόφθᾰλμος (melanóphthalmos)
• μεσόφθᾰλμος (mesóphthalmos)
• μονόφθᾰλμος (monóphthalmos)
• μᾰλᾰκόφθᾰλμος (malakóphthalmos)
• μῐκρόφθᾰλμος (mikróphthalmos)
• μῡρῐόφθᾰλμος (mūrióphthalmos)
• ὀφθᾰλμηδόν (ophthalmēdón)
• ὀφθᾰλμῖτῐς (ophthalmîtis)
• ὀφθᾰλμοβόλος (ophthalmobólos)
• ὀφθᾰλμοβόρος (ophthalmobóros)
• ὀφθᾰλμοδουλείᾱ (ophthalmodouleíā)
• ὀφθᾰλμοειδής (ophthalmoeidḗs)
• ὀφθᾰλμοκλέπτης (ophthalmokléptēs)
• ὀφθᾰλμοπόνος (ophthalmopónos)
• ὀφθᾰλμόσοφος (ophthalmósophos)
• ὀφθᾰλμοστᾰτήρ (ophthalmostatḗr)
• ὀφθᾰλμότεγκτος (ophthalmótenktos)
• ὀφθᾰλμοφᾰνής (ophthalmophanḗs)
• ὀφθᾰλμώρῠχος (ophthalmṓrukhos)
• ὀφθᾰλμῐ́δῐον (ophthalmídion)
• ὀφθᾰλμῐ́ζομαι (ophthalmízomai)
• ὀφθᾰλμῐκός (ophthalmikós)
• ὀφθᾰ́λμῐᾰ (ophthálmia)
• ὀφθᾰλμῐ́ᾱ (ophthalmíā)
• ὀφθᾰλμῐ́ᾱς (ophthalmíās)
• πλᾰτῠόφθᾰλμος (platuóphthalmos)
• πολῠόφθᾰλμος (poluóphthalmos)
• πονηρόφθᾰλμος (ponēróphthalmos)
• πᾰντόφθᾰλμος (pantóphthalmos)
• πῠκνόφθᾰλμος (puknóphthalmos)
• ῥῑψόφθᾰλμος (rhīpsóphthalmos)
• σκληρόφθᾰλμος (sklēróphthalmos)
• σκοροδόφθᾰλμος (skorodóphthalmos)
• στερνόφθᾰλμος (sternóphthalmos)
• ταυρόφθᾰλμος (tauróphthalmos)
• τρῐόφθᾰλμος (trióphthalmos)
• τρῠφερόφθᾰλμος (trupheróphthalmos)
• χᾰροπόφθᾰλμος (kharopóphthalmos)
• ὡραιόφθᾰλμος (hōraióphthalmos)
• ᾰ̓νόφθᾰλμος (anóphthalmos)
• ᾰ̓ντόφθᾰλμος (antóphthalmos)
• ᾰ̓ραιόφθᾰλμος (araióphthalmos)
• ᾰ̓ττελεβόφθᾰλμος (attelebóphthalmos)
• ῠ̔γρόφθᾰλμος (hugróphthalmos)
• ῠ̔όφθᾰλμος (huóphthalmos)
• ῠ̔ψόφθᾰλμος (hupsóphthalmos)

 

Descendants

• Greek: οφθαλμός (ofthalmós)
• → English: ophthalmo-
• → French: ophtalmo-
• → German: ophthalmo-

References

• “ὀφθαλμός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ὀφθαλμός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Further reading

• “ὀφθαλμός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ὀφθαλμός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ὀφθαλμός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ὀφθαλμός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ὀφθαλμός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3788 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• ὀφθαλμός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • bud idem, page 102.
  • countenance idem, page 177.
  • eye idem, page 299.
  • face idem, page 299.
  • gaze idem, page 355.
  • glance idem, page 361.
  • look idem, page 498.
  • sight idem, page 774.
  • vision idem, page 954.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN