βάσανος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Egyptian bḫn (“a hard stone”),

via Lydia, which was used by the Egyptians as a touchstone of gold.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bá.sa.nos/ → /ˈβa.sa.nos/ → /ˈva.sa.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bá.sa.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈba.sa.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβa.sa.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈva.sa.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈva.sa.nos/

Noun

βάσᾰνος • (básanos) f (genitive βασάνου); second declension

1. gold touchstone (stone which is rubbed on gold to ascertain its authenticity by leaving a yellow streak)
2. (figuratively)
   1. test, trial (whether a thing is genuine or real)
   2. inquiry by torture

Declension

Second declension of ἡ βάσᾰνος; τῆς βασᾰ́νου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ βάσᾰνος hē básanos	τὼ βασᾰ́νω tṑ basánō	αἱ βάσᾰνοι hai básanoi
Genitive	τῆς βασᾰ́νου tês basánou	τοῖν βασᾰ́νοιν toîn basánoin	τῶν βασᾰ́νων tôn basánōn
Dative	τῇ βασᾰ́νῳ têi basánōi	τοῖν βασᾰ́νοιν toîn basánoin	ταῖς βασᾰ́νοις taîs basánois
Accusative	τὴν βάσᾰνον tḕn básanon	τὼ βασᾰ́νω tṑ basánō	τᾱ̀ς βασᾰ́νους tā̀s basánous
Vocative	βάσᾰνε básane	βασᾰ́νω basánō	βάσᾰνοι básanoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• βασανίτης (basanítēs)

Descendants

• Greek: βάσανος (vásanos, “examination, probe”)
• Greek: βάσανο (vásano, “torture”)
  • βασανίζω (vasanízo, “to torture”)
  • βασανισμός (vasanismós, “torture (torturing), torment (tormenting)”)
  • βασανιστής n (vasanistís, “torturer, tormentor”)
  • βασανίστρια f (vasanístria, “torturer (female), tormentor (female)”)
  • βασανιστικός (vasanistikós, “brutal, agonising”)
  • βασανιστήριο n (vasanistírio, “torture”)

Further reading

• “βάσανος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “βάσανος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “βάσανος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• βάσανος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• βάσανος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • assay idem, page 45.
  • rack idem, page 668.
  • test idem, page 863.
  • torture idem, page 884.
  • touch-stone idem, page 884.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βάσανος (básanos, “gold touchstone”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvasanos/
• Hyphenation: βά‧σα‧νος

Noun

βάσανος • (vásanos) f (plural βάσανοι)

1. (formal) probe, investigation (careful and attentive examination)

   Πρέπει να περάσει βάσανο πριν δημοσιευτεί.

   Prépei na perásei vásano prin dimosiefteí.

   It has to go through an examination before it's published.

Declension

Declension of βάσανος

	singular	plural
nominative	βάσανος •	βάσανοι •
genitive	βασάνου •	βασάνων •
accusative	βάσανο •	βασάνους •
vocative	βάσανε •,  βάσανο •	βάσανοι •

Synonyms

• (probe, investigation): εξέταση f (exétasi)

Related terms

• βασανίζω (vasanízo, “to examine”)
• βάσανο n (vásano, “torture, torment”)