σέλας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

, but with other derivatives, σελήνη (selḗnē). Could have been from Proto-Indo-European *swelō (“dazzling light, a glare”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sé.las/ → /ˈse.las/ → /ˈse.las/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sé.las/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈse.las/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈse.las/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈse.las/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈse.las/

Noun

σέλᾰς • (sélas) n (genitive σέλᾰος); third declension

1. light, brightness, the bright flame or blaze of fire
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 19.366
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 19.375
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 8.563
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 17.739
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 18.353
   • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, The Shield of Heracles 275
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.69
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 281
2. shine

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ σέλᾰς; τοῦ σέλᾰος (contracted, Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σέλᾰς tò sélas	τὼ σέλᾰε tṑ sélae	τᾰ̀ σέλᾰᾰ tà sélaa
Genitive	τοῦ σέλᾰος toû sélaos	τοῖν σελᾰ́οιν toîn seláoin	τῶν σελᾰ́ων tôn seláōn
Dative	τῷ σέλᾰῐ̈ tôi sélaï	τοῖν σελᾰ́οιν toîn seláoin	τοῖς σέλᾰσῐ / σέλᾰσῐν toîs sélasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ σέλᾰς tò sélas	τὼ σέλᾰε tṑ sélae	τᾰ̀ σέλᾰᾰ tà sélaa
Vocative	σέλᾰς sélas	σέλᾰε sélae	σέλᾰᾰ sélaa
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ σέλᾰς; τοῦ σέλᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σέλᾰς tò sélas	τὼ σέλᾰτε tṑ sélate	τᾰ̀ σέλᾰτᾰ tà sélata
Genitive	τοῦ σέλᾰτος toû sélatos	τοῖν σελᾰ́τοιν toîn selátoin	τῶν σελᾰ́των tôn selátōn
Dative	τῷ σέλᾰτῐ tôi sélati	τοῖν σελᾰ́τοιν toîn selátoin	τοῖς σέλᾰσῐ / σέλᾰσῐν toîs sélasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ σέλᾰς tò sélas	τὼ σέλᾰτε tṑ sélate	τᾰ̀ σέλᾰτᾰ tà sélata
Vocative	σέλᾰς sélas	σέλᾰτε sélate	σέλᾰτᾰ sélata
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ts.

References

• “σέλας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σέλας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• σέλας in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • beam idem, page 66.
  • blaze idem, page 82.
  • brightness idem, page 98.
  • coruscation idem, page 176.
  • flame idem, page 325.
  • flash idem, page 326.
  • glare idem, page 361.
  • gleam idem, page 361.
  • glimmer idem, page 362.
  • glitter idem, page 362.
  • light idem, page 490.
  • lustre idem, page 505.
  • resplendence idem, page 704.
  • sunbeam idem, page 838.

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Greek

Noun

σέλας • (sélas) n (plural σέλατα)

1. lights, aurora

   βόρειο σέλας

   vóreio sélas

   northern lights, aurora borealis

   νότιο σέλας

   nótio sélas

   southern lights, aurora australis

2. shine

Declension

Declension of σέλας

	singular	plural
nominative	σέλας •	σέλατα •
genitive	σέλατος •	σελάτων •
accusative	σέλας •	σέλατα •
vocative	σέλας •	σέλατα •
The plural forms are rare