ἠώς

See also: Ἠώς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἕως (héōs) — Attic
• αὔως (aúōs) — Aeolic
• ἀώς (aṓs) — Doric
• ἄας (áas) — Boeotian
• ἀβώρ (abṓr) — Laconian

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *āhwōs = *ᾱϝ̔ως (*āhwōs), 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).

Noun

ἠώς • (ēṓs) f (genitive ἠοῦς); third declension

(Epic, Ionic)

1. The morning red, daybreak, dawn
2. A dawning considered as a length of time
   • 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) 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 ἡ ἠώς; τῆς ἠοῦς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ ἠώς hē ēṓs
Genitive	τῆς ἠοῦς tês ēoûs
Dative	τῇ ἠοῖ têi ēoî
Accusative	τὴν ἠῶ / ἠοῦν tḕn ēô / ēoûn
Vocative	ἠώς ēṓs
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “ἠώς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἠώς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963