σφαῖρα

See also: σφαίρα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Connections with σπαίρω (spaírō, “to gasp”) or Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (“to kick, rebound, move convulsively”, the original sense would be "something that rebounds") have been suggested, but the aspiration of σπ- to σφ- is unexplained and the semantic development is dubious. Nikolayev instead suggests derivation from a Proto-Hellenic *skʷʰə́řřa, from a putative Proto-Indo-European *sgʷʰer- (“to be round”); compare Avestan 𐬰𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬯𐬥𐬀 (zgər^əsna, “round”) and Hittite [Term?] pl (/⁠šū̆rita⁠/, “skeins of wool”) (a borrowing from Luwian).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spʰâi̯.ra/ → /ˈsɸɛ.ra/ → /ˈsfe.ra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰâi̯.ra/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰɛ.ra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸɛ.ra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfe.ra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfe.ra/

Noun

σφαῖρᾰ • (sphaîra) f (genitive σφαίρᾱς); first declension

1. ball, globe, sphere

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σφαῖρᾰ; τῆς σφαίρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σφαῖρᾰ hē sphaîra	τὼ σφαίρᾱ tṑ sphaírā	αἱ σφαῖραι hai sphaîrai
Genitive	τῆς σφαίρᾱς tês sphaírās	τοῖν σφαίραιν toîn sphaírain	τῶν σφαιρῶν tôn sphairôn
Dative	τῇ σφαίρᾳ têi sphaírāi	τοῖν σφαίραιν toîn sphaírain	ταῖς σφαίραις taîs sphaírais
Accusative	τὴν σφαῖρᾰν tḕn sphaîran	τὼ σφαίρᾱ tṑ sphaírā	τᾱ̀ς σφαίρᾱς tā̀s sphaírās
Vocative	σφαῖρᾰ sphaîra	σφαίρᾱ sphaírā	σφαῖραι sphaîrai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἡμισφαίριον (hēmisphaírion)
• σφαιρῐκός (sphairikós)

 

Descendants

• Greek: σφαίρα f (sfaíra)
• → Latin: sphaera f (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Armenian: սփէր (spʻēr)
  • → Georgian: სფერო (spero)

Further reading

• “σφαῖρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• σφαῖρα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• 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
• “σφαῖρα”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011