σίλφη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• τίλφη (tílphē)

Etymology

The variant could be an artificial Atticism or show a alternation σ-/τ-. The form semantically and formally resembles σέρφος (sérphos, “small winged insect”), while Furnée connects Latin delpa (“kind of insect”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /síl.pʰɛː/ → /ˈsil.ɸi/ → /ˈsil.fi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /síl.pʰɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsil.pʰe̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsil.ɸi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsil.fi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsil.fi/

Noun

σίλφη • (sílphē) f (genitive σίλφης); first declension

1. cockroach (Blattella germanica)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σίλφη; τῆς σίλφης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σίλφη hē sílphē	τὼ σίλφᾱ tṑ sílphā	αἱ σίλφαι hai sílphai
Genitive	τῆς σίλφης tês sílphēs	τοῖν σίλφαιν toîn sílphain	τῶν σιλφῶν tôn silphôn
Dative	τῇ σίλφῃ têi sílphēi	τοῖν σίλφαιν toîn sílphain	ταῖς σίλφαις taîs sílphais
Accusative	τὴν σίλφην tḕn sílphēn	τὼ σίλφᾱ tṑ sílphā	τᾱ̀ς σίλφᾱς tā̀s sílphās
Vocative	σίλφη sílphē	σίλφᾱ sílphā	σίλφαι sílphai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “σίλφη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σίλφη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN