κάνθαρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Not well explained. Connected with κάνθων (kánthōn, “ass, donkey”) and κανθήλιος (kanthḗlios, “ass, donkey”) by Strömberg, with the same suffix as in χίμαρος (khímaros) and κίσσαρος (kíssaros). Hardly probable. DELG points out that there are anthroponyms and toponyms like Κάνθαρος (Kántharos, “a port of Piraeus”) and concludes from this that the term may be of Pre-Greek origin, which is likely. As Akkadian 𒃶𒁺 (/⁠kandu⁠/, “jar for wine”), considered a loan from West Semitic, and Akkadian 𒃶𒁺𒊒𒌑 (/⁠kanduru⁠/, “kind of vessel”) exist, itself from Sumerian 𒄑𒃶𒉡𒌉 (/⁠gannu-tur⁠/, “small vessel; potstand”, literally “little vessel, container, holder”), it would be a loan in this meaning.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kán.tʰa.ros/ → /ˈkan.θa.ros/ → /ˈkan.θa.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kán.tʰa.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.tʰa.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.θa.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.θa.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈkan.θa.ros/

Noun

κάνθᾰρος • (kántharos) m (genitive κανθᾰ́ρου); second declension

1. dung beetle (Canthon pilularius syn. Scarabaeus pilularius)

   Synonym: βύλαρος (búlaros)

2. sort of drinking-cup with large handles
3. kind of boat typical of Naxos
4. black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus)
5. woman's ornament, probably a gem in scarab form

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ κάνθᾰρος; τοῦ κανθᾰ́ρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ κάνθᾰρος ho kántharos	τὼ κανθᾰ́ρω tṑ kanthárō	οἱ κάνθᾰροι hoi kántharoi
Genitive	τοῦ κανθᾰ́ρου toû kanthárou	τοῖν κανθᾰ́ροιν toîn kanthároin	τῶν κανθᾰ́ρων tôn kanthárōn
Dative	τῷ κανθᾰ́ρῳ tôi kanthárōi	τοῖν κανθᾰ́ροιν toîn kanthároin	τοῖς κανθᾰ́ροις toîs kanthárois
Accusative	τὸν κάνθᾰρον tòn kántharon	τὼ κανθᾰ́ρω tṑ kanthárō	τοὺς κανθᾰ́ρους toùs kanthárous
Vocative	κάνθᾰρε kánthare	κανθᾰ́ρω kanthárō	κάνθᾰροι kántharoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἡλιοκάνθαρος (hēliokántharos)
• ἱπποκάνθαρος (hippokántharos)
• κανθάρεως (kantháreōs)
• κανθάριον (kanthárion)
• κανθαρίς (kantharís)
• κανθαρίτης (kantharítēs)
• κανθαροειδής (kantharoeidḗs)
• κανθαροποιός (kantharopoiós)
• κανθαρώδης (kantharṓdēs)
• κανθαρώλεθρος (kantharṓlethros)
• κυκνοκάνθαρος (kuknokántharos)
• χρυσοκάνθαρος (khrusokántharos)

 

Descendants

• Ancient Greek: σκάνθαρος (skántharos)
  • ⇒ Byzantine Greek: *σκανθάριον (*skanthárion)
    • Greek: σκαθάρι (skathári)
• → Latin: cantharus, cantarus
  • Italian: cantero
  • → Catalan: càntar
  • → English: cantharus
  • → French: canthare
  • → Galician: cântaro
  • → Italian: cantaro
  • → Portuguese: cântaro
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ка̏нта̄р

    Latin script: kȁntār

  • → Spanish: cántaro
  • Translingual: Cantharus

Further reading

• “κάνθαρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κάνθαρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• κάνθαρος 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