Καύκασος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. Perhaps from Proto-Scythian *xrohukäsi (“ice-shining, white with snow”) Compare also Old Armenian Կապկոհ (Kapkoh, “Caucasus”), Middle Persian [script needed] (Kap-kōf, “Caucasus”).

Or possibly from Middle Persian 𐭪𐭥𐭯 (kof, “hill, mountain”), ultimately from Old Persian 𐎣𐎢𐎳 (kaufa, “mountain”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kǎu̯.ka.sos/ → /ˈkaɸ.ka.sos/ → /ˈkaf.ka.sos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kǎu̯.ka.sos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʍ.ka.sos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkaɸ.ka.sos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkaf.ka.sos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈkaf.ka.sos/

Proper noun

Καύκᾰσος • (Kaúkasos) m (genitive Καυκᾰ́σου); second declension

1. Caucasus

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ Καύκᾰσος; τοῦ Καυκᾰ́σου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ὁ Καύκᾰσος ho Kaúkasos
Genitive	τοῦ Καυκᾰ́σου toû Kaukásou
Dative	τῷ Καυκᾰ́σῳ tôi Kaukásōi
Accusative	τὸν Καύκᾰσον tòn Kaúkason
Vocative	Καύκᾰσε Kaúkase
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Καυκᾰ́σῐον (Kaukásion)

Descendants

• Greek: Καύκασος (Káfkasos)
• → Arabic: القَوْقَاز (al-qawqāz)
• → Old Armenian: Կովկաս (Kovkas), Կաւկաս (Kawkas)
  • Armenian: Կովկաս (Kovkas)
• → Estonian: Kaukaasia
• → Georgian: კავკასია (ḳavḳasia)
• → Hebrew: קווקז (Kavkáz, Qawqáz)
• → Latin: Caucasus (see there for further descendants)
• → Turkish: Kafkasya

References

• “Καύκασος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Καύκασος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,005

Greek

Proper noun

Καύκασος • (Káfkasos)

1. Caucasus

Inflection

  Καύκασος

case     \     number	singular
nominative	Καύκασος •
genitive	Καυκάσου •
accusative	Καύκασο •
vocative	Καύκασε •

Derived terms

• Καυκασία (Kafkasía)
• Καυκάσιος (Kafkásios)