στῆθος

See also: στήθος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

As this word is also Doric and Aeolic, the connection with ῐ̔́στημῐ (hĭ́stēmĭ, “to stand”) must be given up. The similarity to στήνιον (stḗnion), Old Armenian ստին (stin, “breast”) and Sanskrit स्तन॑ (stána, “female breast”) is hardly coincidental. If cognate, the relation between this word and στήνιον (stḗnion) would be like that of Latin plēnus (“full”) to πλῆθος (plêthos, “multitude”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /stɛ̂ː.tʰos/ → /ˈsti.θos/ → /ˈsti.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /stɛ̂ː.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈste̝.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsti.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsti.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsti.θos/

Noun

στῆθος • (stêthos) n (genitive στήθεος or στήθους); third declension

1. breast (of both sexes)
2. breast as the seat of emotions, feelings
3. ball of the foot or thumb
4. (oncology) swelling, tumour
5. breast-shaped hill or mound

Declension

Third declension of τὸ στῆθος; τοῦ στήθους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ στῆθος tò stêthos	τὼ στήθει tṑ stḗthei	τᾰ̀ στήθη tằ stḗthē
Genitive	τοῦ στήθους toû stḗthous	τοῖν στηθοῖν toîn stēthoîn	τῶν στηθῶν tôn stēthôn
Dative	τῷ στήθει tōî stḗthei	τοῖν στηθοῖν toîn stēthoîn	τοῖς στήθεσῐ / στήθεσῐν toîs stḗthesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ στῆθος tò stêthos	τὼ στήθει tṑ stḗthei	τᾰ̀ στήθη tằ stḗthē
Vocative	στῆθος stêthos	στήθει stḗthei	στήθη stḗthē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of στῆθος; στήθεος / στήθευς (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	στῆθος stêthos	στήθεε / στήθει stḗthee / stḗthei	στήθεᾰ stḗtheă
Genitive	στήθεος / στήθευς stḗtheos / stḗtheus	στηθέοιῐ̈ν stēthéoiĭ̈n	στηθέων / στήθεσφῐ / στήθεσφῐν stēthéōn / stḗthesphĭ(n)
Dative	στήθεῐ̈ / στήθει stḗtheĭ̈ / stḗthei	στηθέοιῐ̈ν stēthéoiĭ̈n	στήθεσῐ / στήθεσῐν / στήθεσσῐ / στήθεσσῐν / στηθέεσσῐ / στηθέεσσῐν stḗthesĭ(n) / stḗthessĭ(n) / stēthéessĭ(n)
Accusative	στῆθος stêthos	στήθεε / στήθει stḗthee / stḗthei	στήθεᾰ stḗtheă
Vocative	στῆθος stêthos	στήθεε / στήθει stḗthee / stḗthei	στήθεᾰ stḗtheă
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Third declension of τὸ στῆθος; τοῦ στήθεος / στήθευς (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ στῆθος tò stêthos	τὼ στήθεε / στήθει tṑ stḗthee / stḗthei	τᾰ̀ στήθεᾰ tằ stḗtheă
Genitive	τοῦ στήθεος / στήθευς toû stḗtheos / stḗtheus	τοῖν στηθέοιν toîn stēthéoin	τῶν στηθέων tôn stēthéōn
Dative	τῷ στήθεῐ̈ / στήθει tōî stḗtheĭ̈ / stḗthei	τοῖν στηθέοιν toîn stēthéoin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν στήθεσῐ / στήθεσῐν toîsĭ(n) stḗthesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ στῆθος tò stêthos	τὼ στήθεε / στήθει tṑ stḗthee / stḗthei	τᾰ̀ στήθεᾰ tằ stḗtheă
Vocative	στῆθος stêthos	στήθεε / στήθει stḗthee / stḗthei	στήθεᾰ stḗtheă
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• μεγαλόστηθος (megalóstēthos)
• μικρόστηθος (mikróstēthos)
• περιστήθιον (peristḗthion)
• προστηθίς (prostēthís)
• στηθαῖον (stēthaîon)
• στηθάριον (stēthárion)
• στήθειος (stḗtheios)
• στηθιαῖος (stēthiaîos)
• στηθίας (stēthías)
• στηθίδιον (stēthídion)
• στηθικός (stēthikós)
• στηθίν (stēthín)
• στηθίον (stēthíon)
• στηθιστήρ (stēthistḗr)
• στηθόδεσμος (stēthódesmos)
• στηθοειδής (stēthoeidḗs)
• στηθύνιον (stēthúnion)

Descendants

• → English: stetho-
• Greek: στήθος (stíthos)

Further reading

• “στῆθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “στῆθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “στῆθος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “στῆθος” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• στῆθος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• G4738 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.
  • bosom idem, page 90.
  • breast idem, page 96.
  • chest idem, page 129.
• 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