γῆρας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ǵērh₂-s, a lengthened-grade derivative of *ǵerh₂- (“to grow old”). Cognate with Sanskrit जरा (jarā́, “old age”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ̂ː.ras/ → /ˈʝi.ras/ → /ˈʝi.ras/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡɛ̂ː.ras/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe̝.ras/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝi.ras/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝi.ras/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈʝi.ras/

Noun

γῆρᾰς • (gêras) n (genitive γήρᾰος); third declension

1. old age

Declension

Third declension of τὸ γῆρᾰς; τοῦ γήρως (contracted, Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	τὸ γῆρᾰς tò gêras
Genitive	τοῦ γήρως / γήρᾰος toû gḗrōs / gḗraos
Dative	τῷ γήρᾳ / γήραϊ / γήρατι tôi gḗrāi / gḗraï / gḗrati
Accusative	τὸ γῆρᾰς tò gêras
Vocative	γῆρᾰς gêras
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• καλόγηρος (kalógēros)

Related terms

• γέρας (géras)
• γέρων (gérōn)

 

Further reading

• “γῆρας”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γῆρας in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “γῆρας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • age idem, page 18.
  • decrepitude idem, page 202.
  • dotage idem, page 247.
  • old age idem, page 572.
  • senility idem, page 752.