σκύβαλον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Neumann compares this word with Hittite [script needed] (išḫuwai-, “to throw, scatter, pour”), while Furnée with κύπελλον (kúpellon, “whatever dough and bread is left over on the table”). If the last theory is correct, then the word could be of Pre-Greek origin. However, while κύπελλον (kúpellon) provides only superficial similarities (note the differences in the consonants), a non-Hittite Anatolian form *šḫuwai provides a perfect match. The immediate Anatolian source cannot be identified more precisely, since neither the phonology nor the morphology is specific enough. Possible candidates are Luwian, Lydian or Palaic.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ský.ba.lon/ → /ˈscy.βa.lon/ → /ˈsci.va.lon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ský.ba.lon/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsky.ba.lon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈscy.βa.lon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈscy.va.lon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsci.va.lon/

Noun

σκῠ́βᾰλον • (skúbalon) n (genitive σκῠβᾰ́λου); second declension

1. dung, excrement, manure
2. refuse, offal

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ σκῠ́βᾰλον; τοῦ σκῠβᾰ́λου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σκῠ́βᾰλον tò skúbalon	τὼ σκῠβᾰ́λω tṑ skubálō	τᾰ̀ σκῠ́βᾰλᾰ tà skúbala
Genitive	τοῦ σκῠβᾰ́λου toû skubálou	τοῖν σκῠβᾰ́λοιν toîn skubáloin	τῶν σκῠβᾰ́λων tôn skubálōn
Dative	τῷ σκῠβᾰ́λῳ tôi skubálōi	τοῖν σκῠβᾰ́λοιν toîn skubáloin	τοῖς σκῠβᾰ́λοις toîs skubálois
Accusative	τὸ σκῠ́βᾰλον tò skúbalon	τὼ σκῠβᾰ́λω tṑ skubálō	τᾰ̀ σκῠ́βᾰλᾰ tà skúbala
Vocative	σκῠ́βᾰλον skúbalon	σκῠβᾰ́λω skubálō	σκῠ́βᾰλᾰ skúbala
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σκῠβᾰλώδης (skubalṓdēs)
• σκῠβᾰλῐ́ζω (skubalízō)
• σκῠβᾰλῐκός (skubalikós)
• σκῠβᾰλῐσμός (skubalismós)

 

Descendants

• → English: scybala

Further reading

• “σκύβαλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σκύβαλον 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