Σήρ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Possibly from the Literary Chinese 絲 (si, “silk”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ːr/ → /sir/ → /sir/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /se̝r/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sir/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sir/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sir/

Noun

Σήρ • (Sḗr) m (genitive Σηρός); third declension

1. (in the plural) the Seres (the people from whom silk was obtained [i.e., the Chinese])
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 11.11.1
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 15.1.34
   • 100 CE – 300 CE, Dionysius Periegetes, Periegesis 752
   • Ctes., Fr. 86
   1. (in the singular, rare) a Chinese
2. a silkworm
   • 110 CE – 180 CE, Pausanias Periegeta, Graeciae Descriptio 6.26.6

Declension

Third declension of ὁ Σήρ; τοῦ Σηρός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Σήρ ho Sḗr	τὼ Σῆρε tṑ Sêre	οἱ Σῆρες hoi Sêres
Genitive	τοῦ Σηρός toû Sērós	τοῖν Σηροῖν toîn Sēroîn	τῶν Σηρῶν tôn Sērôn
Dative	τῷ Σηρῐ́ tôi Sērí	τοῖν Σηροῖν toîn Sēroîn	τοῖς Σηρσῐ́ / Σηρσῐ́ν toîs Sērsí(n)
Accusative	τὸν Σῆρᾰ tòn Sêra	τὼ Σῆρε tṑ Sêre	τοὺς Σῆρᾰς toùs Sêras
Vocative	Σήρ Sḗr	Σῆρε Sêre	Σῆρες Sêres
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Σηρῐκός (Sērikós)
• σηρῐκός (sērikós)

Descendants

• Latin: Sēres

References

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