ψιμύθιον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ψῑμίθῐον (psīmíthion), ψιμμύθῐον (psimmúthion), ψιμμίθῐον (psimmíthion)
• ψημυθῐον (psēmuthion) — Aeolic

Etymology

From ψῑ́μυθος (psī́muthos) +‎ -ῐον (-ion, diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /psiː.mý.tʰi.on/ → /psiˈmy.θi.on/ → /psiˈmi.θi.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psiː.mý.tʰi.on/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /psiˈmy.tʰi.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /psiˈmy.θi.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /psiˈmy.θi.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /psiˈmi.θi.on/

Noun

ψῑμύθῐον • (psīmúthion) n (genitive ψῑμῠθῐ́ου); second declension

1. Diminutive of ψῑ́μυθος (psī́muthos): white lead (as a pigment to whiten the face or hair)
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Oeconomicus 10.2
   • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Lysis 217d
   • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 878
   • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 929
   • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 1072
   • 331 CE – 363 CE, Julian, Orations 7.233b

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ ψῑμῠ́θῐον; τοῦ ψῑμῠθῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ψῑμῠ́θῐον tò psīmúthion	τὼ ψῑμῠθῐ́ω tṑ psīmuthíō	τᾰ̀ ψῑμῠ́θῐᾰ tà psīmúthia
Genitive	τοῦ ψῑμῠθῐ́ου toû psīmuthíou	τοῖν ψῑμῠθῐ́οιν toîn psīmuthíoin	τῶν ψῑμῠθῐ́ων tôn psīmuthíōn
Dative	τῷ ψῑμῠθῐ́ῳ tôi psīmuthíōi	τοῖν ψῑμῠθῐ́οιν toîn psīmuthíoin	τοῖς ψῑμῠθῐ́οις toîs psīmuthíois
Accusative	τὸ ψῑμῠ́θῐον tò psīmúthion	τὼ ψῑμῠθῐ́ω tṑ psīmuthíō	τᾰ̀ ψῑμῠ́θῐᾰ tà psīmúthia
Vocative	ψῑμῠ́θῐον psīmúthion	ψῑμῠθῐ́ω psīmuthíō	ψῑμῠ́θῐᾰ psīmúthia
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ψῑμυθῐόω (psīmuthióō, verb)
• ψῑμυθῐοφᾰνής (psīmuthiophanḗs)
• ψῑμυθῐ́ζω (psīmuthízō)
• ψῑμυθοειδής (psīmuthoeidḗs)

Descendants

• Arabic: بِسِيمُوتِيُّون (bisīmūtiyyūn)
  • Latin: bisemūtum
    • Middle High German: wismāt
      • German: Wismut, Wismuth; Bismut
        • → English: bismuth

Further reading

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