σομφός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Seemingly related to Proto-Germanic *swammaz (“sponge; mushroom, fungus”), with which it is traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *swombʰ- (“sponge; tree-fungus”), but the Greek probably cannot be of inherited Indo-European origin given its lack of the expected shift *s- > *h-. According to Beekes, it is probably of substrate or wanderwort origin and related to similar words like Ancient Greek σπόγγος (spóngos, “sponge”), Latin fungus (“mushroom, fungus”) and Old Armenian սունկն (sunkn, “tree fungus”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /som.pʰós/ → /somˈɸos/ → /somˈfos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /som.pʰós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /somˈpʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /somˈɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /somˈfos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /somˈfos/

Adjective

σομφός • (somphós) m (feminine σομφή, neuter σομφόν); first/second declension

1. spongy, porous, full of tiny pores that allow fluids or gasses to pass through

   Synonyms: πολῠ́τρητος (polútrētos), χαῦνος (khaûnos)

Inflection

First and second declension of σομφός; σομφή; σομφόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		σομφός somphós	σομφή somphḗ	σομφόν somphón		σομφώ somphṓ	σομφᾱ́ somphā́	σομφώ somphṓ		σομφοί somphoí	σομφαί somphaí	σομφᾰ́ somphá
Genitive		σομφοῦ somphoû	σομφῆς somphês	σομφοῦ somphoû		σομφοῖν somphoîn	σομφαῖν somphaîn	σομφοῖν somphoîn		σομφῶν somphôn	σομφῶν somphôn	σομφῶν somphôn
Dative		σομφῷ somphôi	σομφῇ somphêi	σομφῷ somphôi		σομφοῖν somphoîn	σομφαῖν somphaîn	σομφοῖν somphoîn		σομφοῖς somphoîs	σομφαῖς somphaîs	σομφοῖς somphoîs
Accusative		σομφόν somphón	σομφήν somphḗn	σομφόν somphón		σομφώ somphṓ	σομφᾱ́ somphā́	σομφώ somphṓ		σομφούς somphoús	σομφᾱ́ς somphā́s	σομφᾰ́ somphá
Vocative		σομφέ somphé	σομφή somphḗ	σομφόν somphón		σομφώ somphṓ	σομφᾱ́ somphā́	σομφώ somphṓ		σομφοί somphoí	σομφαί somphaí	σομφᾰ́ somphá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		σομφῶς somphôs				σομφότερος somphóteros				σομφότᾰτος somphótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἔνσομφος (énsomphos)
• σομφόομαι (somphóomai)
• σομφότης (somphótēs)
• σομφώδης (somphṓdēs)
• ὑπόσομφος (hupósomphos)
• χαυνόσομφος (khaunósomphos)

 

Further reading

• “σομφός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σομφός 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