ξανθός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

With the original Proto-Indo-European form *ḱsendʰ- from root *ḱas- (“white, blond, grey”). Akin to Latin cānus (“white”), from Proto-Italic *kaznos.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ksan.tʰós/ → /ksanˈθos/ → /ksanˈθos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ksan.tʰós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ksanˈtʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ksanˈθos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ksanˈθos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ksanˈθos/

Adjective

ξᾰνθός • (xanthós) m (feminine ξᾰνθή, neuter ξᾰνθόν); first/second declension

1. yellow (of various shades), golden
2. fair, blond, flaxen, tawny, a golden-red fawn (of hair)
   • 630 BCE – 570 BCE, Sappho, Papyrus Fragments 23:

     ξάνθαι δ’ Ἐλέναι σ’ ἐίσ[κ]ην
     οὖδεν ἄεικες

     xánthai d’ Elénai s’ eís[k]ēn
     oûden áeikes

     Comparing you to golden Helen
     is not at all inappropriate

Inflection

First and second declension of ξᾰνθός; ξᾰνθή; ξᾰνθόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ξᾰνθός xanthós	ξᾰνθή xanthḗ	ξᾰνθόν xanthón		ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ	ξᾰνθᾱ́ xanthā́	ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ		ξᾰνθοί xanthoí	ξᾰνθαί xanthaí	ξᾰνθᾰ́ xanthá
Genitive		ξᾰνθοῦ xanthoû	ξᾰνθῆς xanthês	ξᾰνθοῦ xanthoû		ξᾰνθοῖν xanthoîn	ξᾰνθαῖν xanthaîn	ξᾰνθοῖν xanthoîn		ξᾰνθῶν xanthôn	ξᾰνθῶν xanthôn	ξᾰνθῶν xanthôn
Dative		ξᾰνθῷ xanthôi	ξᾰνθῇ xanthêi	ξᾰνθῷ xanthôi		ξᾰνθοῖν xanthoîn	ξᾰνθαῖν xanthaîn	ξᾰνθοῖν xanthoîn		ξᾰνθοῖς xanthoîs	ξᾰνθαῖς xanthaîs	ξᾰνθοῖς xanthoîs
Accusative		ξᾰνθόν xanthón	ξᾰνθήν xanthḗn	ξᾰνθόν xanthón		ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ	ξᾰνθᾱ́ xanthā́	ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ		ξᾰνθούς xanthoús	ξᾰνθᾱ́ς xanthā́s	ξᾰνθᾰ́ xanthá
Vocative		ξᾰνθέ xanthé	ξᾰνθή xanthḗ	ξᾰνθόν xanthón		ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ	ξᾰνθᾱ́ xanthā́	ξᾰνθώ xanthṓ		ξᾰνθοί xanthoí	ξᾰνθαί xanthaí	ξᾰνθᾰ́ xanthá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ξᾰνθῶς xanthôs				ξᾰνθότερος xanthóteros				ξᾰνθότᾰτος xanthótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Ξᾰ́νθος (Xánthos)

See also

Colors in Ancient Greek · χρώμᾰτᾰ (khrṓmata) (layout · text)

λευκός (leukós)	γλαυκός (glaukós), κῐλλός (killós), πολῐός (poliós), φαιός (phaiós), χαροπός (kharopós)	ᾰ̓μαυρός (amaurós), κελαινός (kelainós), μαυρός (maurós), μέλᾱς (mélās)
ἐρῠθρός (eruthrós); κᾰρῡ́κῐνος (karū́kinos), κόκκῐνος (kókkinos), φοινός (phoinós)	πυρρός (purrhós); ὄρφνῐνος (órphninos)	μήλινος (mḗlinos), ξᾰνθός (xanthós); ὠχρός (ōkhrós)
πρᾰ́σῐνος (prásinos)	χλωρός (khlōrós)	χλωρός (khlōrós); χλωρομέλᾱς (khlōromélās)
κῠᾰ́νεος (kuáneos); γλαυκός (glaukós), κᾰλάϊνος (kaláïnos)	κῠᾰ́νεος (kuáneos)	κῠᾰ́νεος (kuáneos), ὑᾰκῐ́νθῐνος (huakínthinos)
ἰόεις (ióeis), φοινῑ́κεος (phoinī́keos); ᾰ̔λουργής (halourgḗs), πορφῠ́ρεος (porphúreos), οἶνοψ (oînops)	φοινῑ́κεος (phoinī́keos); ᾰ̔λουργής (halourgḗs), πορφῠ́ρεος (porphúreos)	ῥόδινος (rhódinos), ῥοδόεις (rhodóeis)

References

• “ξανθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ξανθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ξανθός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ξανθός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ξανθός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ξανθός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • auburn idem, page 52.
  • blonde idem, page 84.
  • brown idem, page 101.
  • buff idem, page 102.
  • flaxen idem, page 327.
  • golden idem, page 366.
  • orange idem, page 578.
  • russet idem, page 728.
  • sandy idem, page 733.
  • tawny idem, page 857.
  • yellow idem, page 995.

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Greek

Adjective

ξανθός • (xanthós) m (feminine ξανθή or ξανθιά, neuter ξανθό)

1. blonde, blond, fair, flaxen, tawny

   ξανθή μαλλιά, όπως το μέλι ― xanthí malliá, ópos to méli ― blonde hair like honey

2. golden

   ξανθό στάχυ ― xanthó stáchy ― golden ear (of corn)

Declension

Declension of ξανθός

Template:el-decl-adj-ός-ιά-ή-ό

number  case \ gender	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο ξανθός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο ξανθός, etc.)

Derived terms

• ξανθή σταφίδα f (xanthí stafída, “sultana, golden raisin”)