πτωχός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to Beekes, since it is highly probable that πτώξ (ptṓx, “hare”) is related (with original meaning "who ducks away, the shy one"), it is probably a Pre-Greek word, in view of the alternation χ/κ. See also πτάκα (ptáka, “hare”), πτήσσω (ptḗssō, “to duck (for fright)”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ptɔː.kʰós/ → /ptoˈxos/ → /ptoˈxos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ptɔː.kʰós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ptoˈkʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ptoˈxos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ptoˈxos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ptoˈxos/

Noun

πτωχός • (ptōkhós) m (genitive πτωχοῦ); second declension

1. beggar; one who crouches and cringes

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ πτωχός; τοῦ πτωχοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ πτωχός ho ptōkhós	τὼ πτωχώ tṑ ptōkhṓ	οἱ πτωχοί hoi ptōkhoí
Genitive	τοῦ πτωχοῦ toû ptōkhoû	τοῖν πτωχοῖν toîn ptōkhoîn	τῶν πτωχῶν tôn ptōkhôn
Dative	τῷ πτωχῷ tôi ptōkhôi	τοῖν πτωχοῖν toîn ptōkhoîn	τοῖς πτωχοῖς toîs ptōkhoîs
Accusative	τὸν πτωχόν tòn ptōkhón	τὼ πτωχώ tṑ ptōkhṓ	τοὺς πτωχούς toùs ptōkhoús
Vocative	πτωχέ ptōkhé	πτωχώ ptōkhṓ	πτωχοί ptōkhoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Adjective

πτωχός • (ptōkhós) m (feminine πτωχή, neuter πτωχόν); first/second declension

1. poor, beggarly

   Synonym: πένης (pénēs)

Inflection

First and second declension of πτωχός; πτωχή; πτωχόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		πτωχός ptōkhós	πτωχή ptōkhḗ	πτωχόν ptōkhón		πτωχώ ptōkhṓ	πτωχᾱ́ ptōkhā́	πτωχώ ptōkhṓ		πτωχοί ptōkhoí	πτωχαί ptōkhaí	πτωχᾰ́ ptōkhá
Genitive		πτωχοῦ ptōkhoû	πτωχῆς ptōkhês	πτωχοῦ ptōkhoû		πτωχοῖν ptōkhoîn	πτωχαῖν ptōkhaîn	πτωχοῖν ptōkhoîn		πτωχῶν ptōkhôn	πτωχῶν ptōkhôn	πτωχῶν ptōkhôn
Dative		πτωχῷ ptōkhôi	πτωχῇ ptōkhêi	πτωχῷ ptōkhôi		πτωχοῖν ptōkhoîn	πτωχαῖν ptōkhaîn	πτωχοῖν ptōkhoîn		πτωχοῖς ptōkhoîs	πτωχαῖς ptōkhaîs	πτωχοῖς ptōkhoîs
Accusative		πτωχόν ptōkhón	πτωχήν ptōkhḗn	πτωχόν ptōkhón		πτωχώ ptōkhṓ	πτωχᾱ́ ptōkhā́	πτωχώ ptōkhṓ		πτωχούς ptōkhoús	πτωχᾱ́ς ptōkhā́s	πτωχᾰ́ ptōkhá
Vocative		πτωχέ ptōkhé	πτωχή ptōkhḗ	πτωχόν ptōkhón		πτωχώ ptōkhṓ	πτωχᾱ́ ptōkhā́	πτωχώ ptōkhṓ		πτωχοί ptōkhoí	πτωχαί ptōkhaí	πτωχᾰ́ ptōkhá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		πτωχῶς ptōkhôs				πτωχότερος ptōkhóteros				πτωχότᾰτος ptōkhótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• πτωχᾰλᾰζών (ptōkhalazṓn)
• πτωχείᾱ (ptōkheíā)
• πτωχελένη (ptōkhelénē)
• πτωχεύω (ptōkheúō)
• πτωχή (ptōkhḗ)
• πτωχῐ́ζω (ptōkhízō)
• πτωχῐκός (ptōkhikós)
• πτωχῐ́στερος (ptōkhísteros)
• πτωχόμουσος (ptōkhómousos)
• πτωχοποιός (ptōkhopoiós)
• πτωχότης (ptōkhótēs)
• πτωχοτροφεῖον (ptōkhotropheîon)
• πτωχότροφος (ptōkhótrophos)
• πτωχοφᾰνής (ptōkhophanḗs)
• πτωχῶς (ptōkhôs)
• ὑπέρπτωχος (hupérptōkhos)

 

Descendants

• → English: ptochology
• Greek: φτωχός (ftochós)
• → Italian: pitocco

Further reading

• “πτωχός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πτωχός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “πτωχός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• πτωχός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• πτωχός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• G4434 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.
  • beggar idem, page 70.
  • beggarly idem, page 70.
  • mendicant idem, page 524.
  • tramp idem, page 887.