-ης

See also: ης, ἧς, and ᾖς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The suffix is native to .

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɛːs/ → /is/ → /is/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɛːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /e̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /is/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /is/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /is/

Suffix

-ης • (-ēs) m or f (neuter -ες); third declension

1. Forms third-declension adjectives with stems in -εσ- (-es-); very common in compounds.

   ἀ- (a-) + ληθ- (lēth-) + -ης (-ēs) → ᾰ̓ληθής (alēthḗs)

Declension

Third declension of -ης; -ες (contracted, Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		-ης -ēs	-ες -es		-ει -ei	-ει -ei		-εις -eis	-η -ē
Genitive		-ους -ous	-ους -ous		-οιν -oin	-οιν -oin		-ων -ōn	-ων -ōn
Dative		-ει -ei	-ει -ei		-οιν -oin	-οιν -oin		-εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n)	-εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n)
Accusative		-η -ē	-ες -es		-ει -ei	-ει -ei		-εις -eis	-η -ē
Vocative		-ες -es	-ες -es		-ει -ei	-ει -ei		-εις -eis	-η -ē
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		-ως -ōs			-έστερος -ésteros			-έστᾰτος -éstatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Suffix

-ης • (-ēs) m (genitive -ους or -εος); third declension

1. Forms third-declension proper nouns.

   ‎κρᾰ́τος (krátos, “state”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎Κρᾰ́της (Krátēs, “Crates”)

Declension

Third declension of -ης; -ους (contracted, Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	-ης -ēs	-ει -ei	-εις -eis
Genitive	-ους -ous	-οιν -oin	-ων -ōn
Dative	-ει -ei	-οιν -oin	-εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n)
Accusative	-η -ē	-ει -ei	-εις -eis
Vocative	-ες -es	-ει -ei	-εις -eis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ης

Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ής

References

• Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920) “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 858.5

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Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /is/

Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of masculine nouns)

1. ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns, deriving from ancient 1st declension
   1. in -ης, -η, plural -ες, -ών, e.g. ναύτης (náftis, “sailor”) < ναύτης
   2. in -ής, -ή, plural -ές, -ών, e.g. μαθητής (mathitís, “student”) < μαθητής
2. ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient 3rd declension
   1. in -ης, -η, plural -εις, -εων e.g. λάτρης (látris, “worshipper”) < λάτρις (“servant -of god”), μάντης (mántis, “seer”) < μάντις, πρύτανης (prýtanis, “rector”) < πρύτανις (“ruler”)
3. ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient -ιος, -ειος
   1. in -ης, plural -ηδες e.g. κύρης (kýris, “master”) < κύριος, Βασίλης (Vasílis, “Basel”) < Βασίλειος
   2. in -ής, plural -ήδες (rare) e.g. πεταλωτής (petalotís, “farrier”) < πεταλώνω from Hellenistic πεταλῶ < ancient πέταλον
4. ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns borrowed from Turkish -cı.
   1. in -τζής plural -τζήδες e.g. καφετζής (kafetzís, “café owner or waiter”) < Turkish kahveci

Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of adjectives)

1. ending of formal adjectives in -ης, -ης, -ες or -ής, -ής, -ές deriving from the corresponding ancient 3rd declension

   e.g. πλήρης (plíris, “full”) < πλήρης, αήθης (aḯthis, “immoral”) < ἀήθης

2. ending of adjectives in -ης, -α, -ικο deriving from Medieval Greek

   e.g. ζηλιάρης (ziliáris, “jealous”)

3. ending of adjectives in -άρης (-áris) plural -άρηδες borrowed from Latin -ārius.

   e.g. ταβερνιάρης (taverniáris, “taverna owner”)

4. ending of adjectives in -ής, -ιά, -ί and indeclinable -ί, borrowed from Turkish -i (-ι, -u, -ü) mainly for names of colours

   e.g. καφετής (kafetís, “brownish”)

Suffix

-ης • (-is) f (inflectional feminine form)

1. -ης or -ής genitive singular ending of feminine nouns and adjectives deriving from ancient genitive -ης or -ῆς

   e.g. της φίλης f (fílis, “friend -female”) < τῆς φίλης

   e.g. της μουσικής f (mousikís, “value, honour”) < τῆς μουσικῆς

Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of adverbs)

1. adverbs in -ής deriving from genitive feminine ending, Hellenistic or Medieval -ῆς.

   e.g. επικεφαλής (epikefalís, “in charge”), καταγής (katagís, “down on the ground”)

Suffix

-ης • (-is) (obsolete inflectional verb ending)

1. ending of 2nd person, singular, subjunctive used until the 1960s, deriving from its ancient -ῃς (-ēis) equivalent

   να λύνεις (na lýneis, “to untie, solve”), or λύεις < να λύνης < ἵνα λύῃς

Usage notes

The dated subjunctive endings -ης^{2nd singular}, -η^{3rd singular}, -ωμεν^{1st plural} may be found in grammar books for Modern Greek published before 1976, when they were reedited to the identically-pronounced indicative endings -εις, -ει, -ουμε/-ομε as Demotic Greek became the official language of education in Greece.

Derived terms

Greek terms suffixed with -ης

Greek terms suffixed with -ής

Further reading

• "-ης" - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.