ἰσθμός

See also: Ἰσθμός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

A derivation from εἶμῐ (eîmi, “to go or come”) with a suffix -θμο- has been assumed, comparing also Old Norse eið (“isthmus”). However, the -σ- is unexplained, so the word could well be of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /istʰ.mós/ → /isθˈmos/ → /isθˈmos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /istʰ.mós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /istʰˈmos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /isθˈmos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /isθˈmos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /isθˈmos/

Noun

ῐ̓σθμός • (isthmós) m (genitive ῐ̓σθμοῦ); second declension

1. neck, narrow passage of the body
   1. (anatomy) pharynx, fauces
2. neck of land between two seas; isthmus
   1. narrow ridge
   2. strait, narrow channel (of the sea)

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ῐ̓σθμός; τοῦ ῐ̓σθμοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ῐ̓σθμός ho isthmós	τὼ ῐ̓σθμώ tṑ isthmṓ	οἱ ῐ̓σθμοί hoi isthmoí
Genitive	τοῦ ῐ̓σθμοῦ toû isthmoû	τοῖν ῐ̓σθμοῖν toîn isthmoîn	τῶν ῐ̓σθμῶν tôn isthmôn
Dative	τῷ ῐ̓σθμῷ tôi isthmôi	τοῖν ῐ̓σθμοῖν toîn isthmoîn	τοῖς ῐ̓σθμοῖς toîs isthmoîs
Accusative	τὸν ῐ̓σθμόν tòn isthmón	τὼ ῐ̓σθμώ tṑ isthmṓ	τοὺς ῐ̓σθμούς toùs isthmoús
Vocative	ῐ̓σθμέ isthmé	ῐ̓σθμώ isthmṓ	ῐ̓σθμοί isthmoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἐπῐ́σθμῐος (epísthmios)
• πᾰρῐ́σθμῐον (parísthmion)
• σῠνῐσθμῐ́ζω (sunisthmízō)
• ῐ̓σθμοειδής (isthmoeidḗs)
• Ῐ̓σθμός (Isthmós)
• ῐ̓σθμώδης (isthmṓdēs)
• ῐ̓σθμῐκός (isthmikós)
• ῐ̓́σθμῐον (ísthmion)
• ῐ̓σθμῐᾰκός (isthmiakós)
• ῠ̔περῐσθμῐ́ζω (huperisthmízō)

 

Descendants

• Greek: ισθμός (isthmós)
• → Latin: isthmus
  • → English: isthmus
  • → French: isthme
  • → Italian: istmo

References

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

Further reading

• “ἰσθμός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἰσθμός 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