πλευρά

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• πλευρή (pleurḗ) — Ionic

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. The traditional connections with πλάξ (pláx, “flat object, plate”) (< *plk-) and παλάμη (palámē, “palm”) (< *plh₂-em-eh₂-), via an unattested *πλῆ-ϝαρ (*plê-war), suggest a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). The semantics seem reasonable; however, the morphological formation is unclear.

An alternative theory, deriving the word from a Proto-Indo-European *pnew-reh₂, from *pnew- (“to breath”), would leave the lambdacism (ν (n) > λ (l)) unexplained (although compare πλεύμων (pleúmōn, “lung”)), in addition to being semantically farfetched (the "lung membrane" meaning appears to be a much later innovation in the English borrowing that was never present in Greek), particularly when compared to the connection with *pleh₂-. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pleu̯.rǎː/ → /pleˈβra/ → /pleˈvra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pleu̯.rǎː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /plewˈra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /pleˈβra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /pleˈvra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /pleˈvra/

Noun

πλευρᾱ́ • (pleurā́) f (genitive πλευρᾶς); first declension

1. (anatomy, usually in the plural) A rib.

   Synonym: πλευρόν (pleurón)

   1. (usually in the plural) A side of a man or animal.
2. A side of things and places.
3. (geometry) A line that forms the side of a triangle or other two-dimensional figure.
   • 350 BCE – 250 BCE, Euclid, Elements 7.17
   1. A side of a rectangle; (mathematics) one factor of any product.
   2. A side of a square of a cube; (mathematics) a root of a square of a cubic number.
      • 350 BCE – 250 BCE, Euclid, Elements 8.17.11
   3. A generator of a cone or cylinder.

Inflection

First declension of ἡ πλευρᾱ́; τῆς πλευρᾶς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ πλευρᾱ́ hē pleurā́	τὼ πλευρᾱ́ tṑ pleurā́	αἱ πλευραί hai pleuraí
Genitive	τῆς πλευρᾶς tês pleurâs	τοῖν πλευραῖν toîn pleuraîn	τῶν πλευρῶν tôn pleurôn
Dative	τῇ πλευρᾷ têi pleurâi	τοῖν πλευραῖν toîn pleuraîn	ταῖς πλευραῖς taîs pleuraîs
Accusative	τὴν πλευρᾱ́ν tḕn pleurā́n	τὼ πλευρᾱ́ tṑ pleurā́	τᾱ̀ς πλευρᾱ́ς tā̀s pleurā́s
Vocative	πλευρᾱ́ pleurā́	πλευρᾱ́ pleurā́	πλευραί pleuraí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓μφῐ́πλευρος (amphípleuros)
• ᾰ̓νῐσόπλευρος (anisópleuros)
• ᾰ̓ντῐ́πλευρος (antípleuros)
• ᾰ̓́πλευρος (ápleuros)
• ᾰ̓ρτῐόπλευρος (artiópleuros)
• ᾰ̓τερόπλευρος (aterópleuros)
• βᾰθῠ́πλευρος (bathúpleuros)
• βούπλευρος (boúpleuros)
• δεκᾰ́πλευρος (dekápleuros)
• δῐᾰπλευρῐσμός (diapleurismós)
• δῐπλᾰσῐόπλευρος (diplasiópleuros)
• δῐ́πλευρος (dípleuros)
• δωδεκᾰ́πλευρον (dōdekápleuron)
• ἕκπλευρος (hékpleuros)
• ἔμπλευρος (émpleuros)
• ἑξᾰ́πλευρος (hexápleuros)
• ἐπῐ́πλευρᾰ (epípleura)
• ἑπτᾰ́πλευρος (heptápleuros)
• ἐρῐ́πλευρος (erípleuros)
• ἑτερόπλευρος (heterópleuros)
• ἡμῐ́πλευρος (hēmípleuros)
• ῐ̓σόπλευρος (isópleuros)
• ῐ̓σοπληθόπλευρος (isoplēthópleuros)
• λευκόπλευρος (leukópleuros)
• μονόπλευρος (monópleuros)
• πᾰρᾰπλευρῐ́δῐᾰ (parapleurídia)
• πᾰρᾰπλευρόω (parapleuróō)
• πεντᾰ́πλευρον (pentápleuron)
• περῐπλευρῐ́ζω (peripleurízō)
• περῐ́πλευρος (perípleuros)
• πλᾰτῠ́πλευρον (platúpleuron)
• πλευρῐ́ον (pleuríon)
• πλευρῐσμός (pleurismós)
• πλεύροθεν (pleúrothen)
• πλευροτῠπής (pleurotupḗs)
• πλεύρωμᾰ (pleúrōma)
• πολῠ́πλευρος (polúpleuros)
• στρογγῠλόπλευρος (strongulópleuros)
• σῠ́μπλευρος (súmpleuros)
• τᾰνῠ́πλευρος (tanúpleuros)
• τετρᾰ́πλευρος (tetrápleuros)
• τρῐ́πλευρος (trípleuros)
• χᾰλκόπλευρος (khalkópleuros)
• χρῡσόπλευρος (khrūsópleuros)
• ψῑλήπλευρᾰ (psīlḗpleura)

 

Related terms

• πλευρόν (pleurón)
• πλευρῖτῐς (pleurîtis)
• πλευρῑτῐκός (pleurītikós)

Descendants

• → Medieval Latin: pleura
  • → English: pleura
  • → French: pleura
  • → Italian: pleura
  • → Portuguese: pleura
  • → Spanish: pleura

Further reading

• “πλευρά”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πλευρά”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• πλευρά in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• πλευρά in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• G4125 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • flank idem, page 325.
  • rib idem, page 712.
  • side idem, page 772.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πλευρά (pleurá).

Noun

πλευρά • (plevrá) f (plural πλευρές)

1. side (especially a surface or an area)

   στη δυτική πλευρά του κτιρίου

   sti dytikí plevrá tou ktiríou

   on the west side of the building

   η αίθουσα είχε δύο πλευρές με καθίσματα

   i aíthousa eíche dýo plevrés me kathísmata

   the room has two sides with seats

2. (mathematics) side

   Ένα τρίγωνο έχει τρεις κορυφές, τρεις πλευρές και τρεις γωνίες.

   Éna trígono échei treis koryfés, treis plevrés kai treis goníes.

   A triangle has three points, three sides and three angles.

3. side

   η δεξιά πλευρά του αυτοκινήτου

   i dexiá plevrá tou aftokinítou

   the right-hand side of the car

Declension

Declension of πλευρά

	singular	plural
nominative	πλευρά •	πλευρές •
genitive	πλευράς •	πλευρών •
accusative	πλευρά •	πλευρές •
vocative	πλευρά •	πλευρές •

Derived terms

• αναλογία πλευρών f (analogía plevrón, “aspect ratio”)
• ανισόπλευρος (anisóplevros, “of unequal sides”, adjective)
• ισόπλευρος (isóplevros, “of equal sides, equilateral”, adjective)

Noun

πλευρά • (plevrá) n

1. Nominative, accusative and vocative plural form of πλευρό (plevró).