ἠώς

See also: Ἠώς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἕως (héōs) — Attic
• αὔως (aúōs), ᾱ̓́ϝως (ā́wōs) — Aeolic
• ᾱ̓ώς (āṓs) — Doric
• ᾱ̓́ας (ā́as) — Boeotian
• ᾱ̓ϝώρ (āwṓr), αβώρ (abṓr) — Laconian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *auhṓs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsōs (“dawn”), which was also personified as a goddess of dawn in Proto-Indo-European religion, corresponding to Ancient Greek goddess Ἠώς (Ēṓs). Cognates include Latin Aurora/aurora, Sanskrit उषस् (uṣás, “dawn; Ushas”) and possibly Old English Ēostre and Old Armenian այգ (ayg), առաւաւտ (aṙawawt).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɛː.ɔ̌ːs/ → /iˈos/ → /iˈos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɛː.ɔ̌ːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /e̝ˈos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /iˈos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /iˈos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /iˈos/

• Hyphenation: ἠ‧ώς

Noun

ἠώς • (ēṓs) f (genitive ἠοῦς); third declension (Epic, Ionic)

1. The morning red, daybreak, dawn
2. Dawn as a length of time: morning
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 8.66:

     Ὄφρα μὲν ἠὼς ἦν καὶ ἀέξετο ῑ̔ερὸν ἦμαρ,

     Óphra mèn ēṑs ên kaì aéxeto hīeròn êmar,

     While the dawn lasted and the holy day grew,

   1. (accusative, ἠῶ (ēô)) through the morning
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.434:

        παννυχίη μέν ῥ’ ἥ γε καὶ ἠῶ πεῖρε κέλευθον.

        pannukhíē mén rh’ hḗ ge kaì ēô peîre kéleuthon.

        All night and through the morning [the ship] clove her way.

3. A morning as a unit of time: day
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.493:

     ἀλλ’ ὅτε δή ῥ’ ἐκ τοῖο δυωδεκάτη γένετ’ ἠώς,

     all’ hóte dḗ rh’ ek toîo duōdekátē génet’ ēṓs,

     But when the twelfth dawn since then had come,

4. The direction of dawn, the East

Usage notes

Epic locative is ἠῶθι (ēôthi).

Inflection

Irregular declension of ἠώς; ἠοῦς ((Epic, Ionic), Epic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἠώς ēṓs
Genitive	ἠοῦς ēoûs
Dative	ἠοῖ ēoî
Accusative	ἠῶ / ἠοῦν ēô / ēoûn
Vocative	ἠώς ēṓs
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἑωσφόρος (heōsphóros)
• ἠῶθεν (ēôthen)
• ὑπηοῖος (hupēoîos)

 

Further reading

• “ἠώς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἠώς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἠώς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἠώς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963