νεῖκος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *neik- ‎(“to attack, start vehemently”) and cognate with Lithuanian ap-ni̇̀kti ‎(“to attack”), su-ni̇̀kti ‎(“to attack”), Latvian nikns ‎(“bad, grim, vehement”), maybe also Russian в-никнуть ‎(v-niknutʹ), про-никнуть ‎(pro-niknutʹ). See also νίκη ‎(níkē).

Pronunciation

• (5th BC Attic): IPA: /né͜ekos/

• (1st BC Egyptian): IPA: /níːkos/

• (4th AD Koine): IPA: /níkos/

• (10th AD Byzantine): IPA: /níkos/

• (15th AD Constantinopolitan): IPA: /níkos/

Noun

νεῖκος • ‎(neîkos) (genitive νείκους); n, third declension

1. quarrel, wrangle, strife
2. strife of words, railing, abuse, taunt, reproach
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.483
3. strife of law, dispute before a judge
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 12.440
4. battle, fight
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 4.444

Inflection

Third declension of νεῖκος, νείκεος (uncontracted)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ νεῖκος	τὼ νείκεε	τὰ νείκεᾰ
Genitive	τοῦ νείκεος	τοῖν νεικέοιν	τῶν νεικέων
Dative	τῷ νείκεϊ	τοῖν νεικέοιν	τοῖς νείκεσσῐ(ν)
Accusative	τὸ νεῖκος	τὼ νείκεε	τὰ νείκεᾰ
Vocative	νεῖκος	νείκεε	νείκεᾰ
Dialectal forms:
Notes:	This inflection pattern originally had a sigma (i.e. *νείκεσος), which was dropped early on in the history of Ancient Greek.

Third declension of νεῖκος, νείκους (contracted)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ νεῖκος	τὼ νείκει	τὰ νείκη
Genitive	τοῦ νείκους	τοῖν νεικοῖν	τῶν νεικῶν
Dative	τῷ νείκει	τοῖν νεικοῖν	τοῖς νείκεσῐ(ν)
Accusative	τὸ νεῖκος	τὼ νείκει	τὰ νείκη
Vocative	νεῖκος	νείκει	νείκη
Dialectal forms:
Notes:	The irregular accentuation of this paradigm is explained by the fact that it is the contracted version of the above paradigm.

References

• LSJ 8th edition
• Robert S. P. Beekes (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Publishers