λέσχη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Most often connected with λέχος (lékhos, “bed”), but there is no proof for that. Long ago, the agreement with Hebrew לִשְׁכָּה (lišḵá) was observed. The Hebrew is surely a foreign word considering the variation with נִשְׁכָּה (nišḵá) and the lack of Semitic cognates, but it is obscure if the Hebrew word is from Greek or the word in both languages is carried over from an unknown language. According to Beekes, the variation in the Hebrew word may point to Anatolian interchange "l/n".

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /lés.kʰɛː/ → /ˈles.çi/ → /ˈles.çi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /lés.kʰɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈles.kʰe̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈles.çi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈles.çi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈles.çi/

Noun

λέσχη • (léskhē) f (genitive λέσχης); first declension

1. couch, hence funeral bier, tomb
2. lounging place, resort of idlers and beggars
3. public building or hall used as a lounge or meeting place
4. talk or gossip

Inflection

First declension of ἡ λέσχη; τῆς λέσχης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ λέσχη hē léskhē	τὼ λέσχᾱ tṑ léskhā	αἱ λέσχαι hai léskhai
Genitive	τῆς λέσχης tês léskhēs	τοῖν λέσχαιν toîn léskhain	τῶν λεσχῶν tôn leskhôn
Dative	τῇ λέσχῃ têi léskhēi	τοῖν λέσχαιν toîn léskhain	ταῖς λέσχαις taîs léskhais
Accusative	τὴν λέσχην tḕn léskhēn	τὼ λέσχᾱ tṑ léskhā	τᾱ̀ς λέσχᾱς tā̀s léskhās
Vocative	λέσχη léskhē	λέσχᾱ léskhā	λέσχαι léskhai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀδολεσχης (adoleskhēs)
• ἔλλεσχος (élleskhos)
• λεσχάζω (leskházō)
• λεσχαίνω (leskhaínō)
• λεσχαῖος (leskhaîos)
• λεσχάραι (leskhárai)
• λέσχημα (léskhēma)
• λεσχημονεύομαι (leskhēmoneúomai)
• λεσχήν (leskhḗn)
• λεσχηνεία (leskhēneía)
• λεσχηνευτής (leskhēneutḗs)
• λεσχηνεύω (leskhēneúō)
• λεσχηνίτης (leskhēnítēs)
• λεσχηνόριος (leskhēnórios)
• λεσχηνώτης (leskhēnṓtēs)
• λεσχολογία (leskhología)
• λεσχώδης (leskhṓdēs)
• πρόλεσχος (próleskhos)

 

Descendants

• Greek: λέσχη (léschi)

References

• “λέσχη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “λέσχη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• λέσχη 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

---

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λέσχη (léskhē) which means in its earliest attested meaning pub, triclinium. It must be juxtaposed with Hebrew לִשְׁכָּה (lišḵá) of similar usage. The Hebrew is surely a foreign word considering the variation with נִשְׁכָּה (nišḵá) and the lack of Semitic cognates, but it is obscure if the Hebrew word is from Greek and the Greek is derived from the same root as λέχομαι (lékhomai, “to recline”) or the word in both languages is carried over from an unknown language via viniculture, making it as obscure as Proto-Indo-European *wóyh₁nom (“wine”) – however the variant in Hebrew suggests the latter.

Noun

λέσχη • (léschi) f (plural λέσχες)

1. club (association of members)

   λέσχη του Βιβλίου ― léschi tou Vivlíou ― book club

   φοιτητική λέσχη ― foititikí léschi ― students' union

2. gambling club

Declension

Declension of λέσχη

	singular	plural
nominative	λέσχη •	λέσχες •
genitive	λέσχης •	λεσχών •
accusative	λέσχη •	λέσχες •
vocative	λέσχη •	λέσχες •

Synonyms

• κλαμπ n (klamp)

Derived terms

• αερολέσχη f (aeroléschi, “flying club”)

References

• Brown, John Pairman (1995) Israel and Hellas (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft; 231), volume I, Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, page 141