βοηθόος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Homeric. From βοή (boḗ, “shout, call”) + θοός (thoós, “swift, running”) (θέω (théō, “run”)); post-classically shortened to βοηθός (boēthós).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bo.ɛː.tʰó.os/ → /βo.iˈθo.os/ → /vo.iˈθo.os/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bo.ɛː.tʰó.os/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /bo.e̝ˈtʰo.os/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βo.iˈθo.os/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vo.iˈθo.os/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vo.iˈθo.os/

Adjective

βοηθόος • (boēthóos) m or f (neuter βοηθόον); second declension

1. heeding the call to arms, rushing to battle
   • Il. 13.477 Αἰνείαν ἐπιόντα βοηθόον ("Aeneas rushing to [battle]")
   • Il. 17.481f Ὣς ἔφατ', Ἀλκιμέδων δὲ βοηθόον ἅρμ' ἐπορούσας / καρπαλίμως μάστιγα καὶ ἡνία λάζετο χερσίν ("So spake he, and Alcimedon leapt upon the car that was swift in battle, and quickly grasped in his hands the lash and reins" trans. Murray 1924)
2. assisting, auxiliary; aiding, helping

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ βοηθός; τοῦ βοηθοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ βοηθός ho boēthós	τὼ βοηθώ tṑ boēthṓ	οἱ βοηθοί hoi boēthoí
Genitive	τοῦ βοηθοῦ toû boēthoû	τοῖν βοηθοῖν toîn boēthoîn	τῶν βοηθῶν tôn boēthôn
Dative	τῷ βοηθῷ tôi boēthôi	τοῖν βοηθοῖν toîn boēthoîn	τοῖς βοηθοῖς toîs boēthoîs
Accusative	τὸν βοηθόν tòn boēthón	τὼ βοηθώ tṑ boēthṓ	τοὺς βοηθούς toùs boēthoús
Vocative	βοηθέ boēthé	βοηθώ boēthṓ	βοηθοί boēthoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• βοηθός (boēthós, “auxiliary”)
• βοήθεια (boḗtheia, “help, aid”)
• βοηθέω (boēthéō, “come to aid, succour, assist, aid”)
• βοήθησις (boḗthēsis, “aid, succour”)

References

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