σπεῖρα

See also: σπείρα

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spêː.ra/ → /ˈspi.ra/ → /ˈspi.ra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spêː.ra/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈspi.ra/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *sper-yeh₂-, from *sper- (“to twist”), and thus cognate with σπάργανον (spárganon, “swaddling clothes”), σπάρτον (spárton, “rope, cable”), and σπεῖρον (speîron, “shroud”). Outside of Hellenic, cognate with Old Armenian փարել (pʻarel, “to enclose, embrace”) (whence Armenian փարվել (pʻarvel, “id”)), as well as perhaps Albanian fier (“fern”) (which directly corresponds in formation with σπεῖρον (speîron)).

Noun

σπεῖρα • (speîra) f (genitive σπείρᾱς); first declension

1. anything twisted or wound
   1. (in the plural) coils or spires of snakes
   2. rope, cord
   3. knot or curl in wood
   4. (architecture) torus of a column

Declension

First declension of ἡ σπεῖρᾰ; τῆς σπείρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σπεῖρᾰ hē speîra	τὼ σπείρᾱ tṑ speírā	αἱ σπεῖραι hai speîrai
Genitive	τῆς σπείρᾱς tês speírās	τοῖν σπείραιν toîn speírain	τῶν σπειρῶν tôn speirôn
Dative	τῇ σπείρᾳ têi speírāi	τοῖν σπείραιν toîn speírain	ταῖς σπείραις taîs speírais
Accusative	τὴν σπεῖρᾰν tḕn speîran	τὼ σπείρᾱ tṑ speírā	τᾱ̀ς σπείρᾱς tā̀s speírās
Vocative	σπεῖρᾰ speîra	σπείρᾱ speírā	σπεῖραι speîrai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ σπεῖρᾰ; τῆς σπείρης (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σπεῖρᾰ hē speîra	τὼ σπείρᾱ tṑ speírā	αἱ σπεῖραι hai speîrai
Genitive	τῆς σπείρης tês speírēs	τοῖν σπείραιν toîn speírain	τῶν σπειρέων / σπειρῶν tôn speiréōn / speirôn
Dative	τῇ σπείρῃ têi speírēi	τοῖν σπείραιν toîn speírain	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν σπείρῃσῐ / σπείρῃσῐν têisi(n) speírēisi(n)
Accusative	τὴν σπεῖρᾰν tḕn speîran	τὼ σπείρᾱ tṑ speírā	τᾱ̀ς σπείρᾱς tā̀s speírās
Vocative	σπεῖρᾰ speîra	σπείρᾱ speírā	σπεῖραι speîrai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• σπειραία (speiraía)
• σπειράομαι (speiráomai)
• σπειρηδόν (speirēdón)
• σπειρικός (speirikós)
• σπειρίον (speiríon)
• σπειρίτης (speirítēs)

 

Descendants

• Greek: σπείρα (speíra)
• → Latin: spīra

Further reading

• “σπεῖρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “σπεῖρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• σπεῖρα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

σπεῖρα • (speîra)

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of σπεῖρον (speîron)