ῥοδοδάκτυλος

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 8 June 2016

Alternative forms

• βροδοδάκτυλος (brododáktulos) — Aeolic

Etymology

From ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”) +‎ δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /r̥o.do.dák.ty.los/ → /ro.ðoˈðak.ty.los/ → /ro.ðoˈðak.ti.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /r̥o.do.dák.ty.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ro.doˈdak.ty.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ro.ðoˈðak.ty.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ro.ðoˈðak.ty.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ro.ðoˈðak.ti.los/

Adjective

ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλος • (rhododáktulos) m or f (neuter ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον); second declension (chiefly Epic)

1. rosy-fingered
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 23.241:

     καί νύ κ’ ὀδυρομένοισι φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς,

     kaí nú k’ oduroménoisi phánē rhododáktulos Ēṓs,

     And now rosy-fingered Dawn appeared to them as they lamented.

   • 500 BCE – 400 BCE, Bacchylides, Collected Works 19.18
   • 491 CE – 518 CE, Coluthus, Rape of Helen 99

Usage notes

In the Iliad and Odyssey, the word only appears as an epithet of Dawn, in the phrase ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς (rhododáktulos Ēṓs, “rosy-fingered Dawn”) at the end of a poetic line, and most frequently in the following line, which is repeated once in the Iliad and many times in the Odyssey to introduce new days in the story (for a full list of occurrences, see the citations page):

800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.477:

ἦμος δ’ ἠριγένεια φάνη ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς

êmos d’ ērigéneia phánē rhododáktulos Ēṓs

When rosy-fingered Dawn appeared early-born

Inflection

Second declension of ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλος; ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον (Epic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλος rhododáktulos	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον rhododáktulon		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō		ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλοι rhododáktuloi	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλᾰ rhododáktula
Genitive		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λου / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλοῖο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλόο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοο rhododaktúlou / rhododaktuloîo / rhododaktúloio / rhododaktulóo / rhododaktúloo	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λου / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλοῖο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλόο / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοο rhododaktúlou / rhododaktuloîo / rhododaktúloio / rhododaktulóo / rhododaktúloo		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιῐν rhododaktúloiin	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιῐν rhododaktúloiin		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λων rhododaktúlōn	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λων rhododaktúlōn
Dative		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λῳ rhododaktúlōi	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λῳ rhododaktúlōi		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιῐν rhododaktúloiin	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοιῐν rhododaktúloiin		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοισῐ / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοισῐν / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοις rhododaktúloisi(n) / rhododaktúlois	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοισῐ / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοισῐν / ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λοις rhododaktúloisi(n) / rhododaktúlois
Accusative		ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον rhododáktulon	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον rhododáktulon		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λους rhododaktúlous	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλᾰ rhododáktula
Vocative		ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλε rhododáktule	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλον rhododáktulon		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō	ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λω rhododaktúlō		ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλοι rhododáktuloi	ῥοδοδᾰ́κτῠλᾰ rhododáktula
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ῥοδοδᾰκτῠ́λως rhododaktúlōs			ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλώτερος rhododaktulṓteros			ῥοδοδᾰκτῠλώτᾰτος rhododaktulṓtatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

References

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