ἔρφος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

It rhymes with better known στέρφος (stérphos, “hide, skin”), but further unclear. Güntert suggests that this word is a younger reshaping from ἐρέφω (eréphō, “to cover with a roof”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ér.pʰos/ → /ˈer.ɸos/ → /ˈer.fos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ér.pʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈer.pʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.ɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.fos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈer.fos/

Noun

ἔρφος • (érphos) n (genitive ἔρφεος or ἔρφους); third declension

1. (anatomy) skin

   Synonyms: δέρμα (dérma), στέρφος (stérphos)

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ἔρφος; τοῦ ἔρφους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἔρφος tò érphos	τὼ ἔρφει tṑ érphei	τᾰ̀ ἔρφη tà érphē
Genitive	τοῦ ἔρφους toû érphous	τοῖν ἐρφοῖν toîn erphoîn	τῶν ἐρφῶν tôn erphôn
Dative	τῷ ἔρφει tôi érphei	τοῖν ἐρφοῖν toîn erphoîn	τοῖς ἔρφεσῐ / ἔρφεσῐν toîs érphesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ἔρφος tò érphos	τὼ ἔρφει tṑ érphei	τᾰ̀ ἔρφη tà érphē
Vocative	ἔρφος érphos	ἔρφει érphei	ἔρφη érphē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ ἔρφος; τοῦ ἔρφεος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἔρφος tò érphos	τὼ ἔρφεε tṑ érphee	τᾰ̀ ἔρφεᾰ tà érphea
Genitive	τοῦ ἔρφεος toû érpheos	τοῖν ἐρφέοιν toîn erphéoin	τῶν ἐρφέων tôn erphéōn
Dative	τῷ ἔρφεῐ̈ tôi érpheï	τοῖν ἐρφέοιν toîn erphéoin	τοῖς ἔρφεσῐ / ἔρφεσῐν toîs érphesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ἔρφος tò érphos	τὼ ἔρφεε tṑ érphee	τᾰ̀ ἔρφεᾰ tà érphea
Vocative	ἔρφος érphos	ἔρφεε érphee	ἔρφεᾰ érphea
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “ἔρφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἔρφος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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