λέων
Ancient Greek
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Terrace_of_the_Lions_04.jpg/220px-Terrace_of_the_Lions_04.jpg)
Etymology
[edit]Many ancient languages possessed similar words for lion, including Akkadian 𒌨 (labbu) (reconstructed to Proto-Semitic *labiʾ-). It is unclear how they are related and who borrowed from whom. The ultimate source is likely not Indo-European, however.[1]
The τ (t) in the stem λεοντ- (leont-) was influenced by the present participle. The original stem was *λεον- (*leon-), as shown by λέαινα (léaina, “female lion”) and Latin leō. If the stem were originally λεοντ- (leont-), the feminine form would be *λέουσα (*léousa).
Pronunciation
[edit]- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /lé.ɔːn/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈle.on/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈle.on/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈle.on/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈle.on/
Noun
[edit]λέων • (léōn) m (genitive λέοντος); third declension
- lion
- 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, The Statesman 291a.9:
- πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ λέουσι τῶν ἀνδρῶν εἴξασι καὶ Κενταύροις καὶ τοιούτοισιν ἑτέροις
- polloì mèn gàr léousi tôn andrôn eíxasi kaì Kentaúrois kaì toioútoisin hetérois
- πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ λέουσι τῶν ἀνδρῶν εἴξασι καὶ Κενταύροις καὶ τοιούτοισιν ἑτέροις
- (astrology) Leo, the zodiacal sign
- lionheart, savage (one having the characteristics of a lion (positive or negative): savage, noble, or brave)
Usage notes
[edit]Alternative forms of the dative plural include λείουσι (leíousi) (late Epic) and λεόντεσσι (leóntessi).
Inflection
[edit]Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ὁ λέων ho léōn |
τὼ λέοντε tṑ léonte |
οἱ λέοντες hoi léontes | ||||||||||
Genitive | τοῦ λέοντος toû léontos |
τοῖν λεόντοιν toîn leóntoin |
τῶν λεόντων tôn leóntōn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῷ λέοντῐ tôi léonti |
τοῖν λεόντοιν toîn leóntoin |
τοῖς λέουσῐ / λέουσῐν toîs léousi(n) | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὸν λέοντᾰ tòn léonta |
τὼ λέοντε tṑ léonte |
τοὺς λέοντᾰς toùs léontas | ||||||||||
Vocative | λέον léon |
λέοντε léonte |
λέοντες léontes | ||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Derived terms
[edit]- θῡμολέων (thūmoléōn)
- Λέανδρος (Léandros)
- λεοντάριον (leontárion)
- λεοντοπέτᾰλον (leontopétalon)
- λεόπαρδος (leópardos)
- Λέων (Léōn)
- Λεωνῐ́δᾱς (Leōnídās)
- Τῑμολέων (Tīmoléōn)
- χᾰμαιλέων (khamailéōn)
Descendants
[edit]- → Coptic: ⲗⲉⲱⲛ (leōn)
- → Greek: λέων (léon) (learned)
- → Latin: leō (see there for further descendants)
References
[edit]- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λέων, -οντος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 854
Further reading
[edit]- “λέων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “λέων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “λέων”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- λέων in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- λέων in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- “λέων”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G3023 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Greek
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn) from the accusative singular τὸν (tòn) λέοντα (léonta). Also see λέοντας m (léontas), λιόντας m (lióntas), λεοντάρι n (leontári) & λιοντάρι n (liontári).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]λέων • (léon) m (plural λέοντες, feminine λέαινα)
- (learned) form of λιοντάρι (liontári) (in set phrases and learned terms)
- η Πύλη των Λεόντων στις Μυκήνες ― i Pýli ton Leónton stis Mykínes ― the Lion Gate at Mycenae
- (learned, figurative) brave man
- for the constellation and the given name, see Λέων (Léon)
Declension
[edit]Compare to the declension of λέοντας (léontas).
Related terms
[edit]expressions
- ένας, αλλά λέων! (énas, allá léon!, “one, but a lion!”)
- εξ όνυχος τον λέοντα (ex ónychos ton léonta), Ancient Greek ἐξ ὀνύχων λέοντα (ex onúkhōn léonta)
- λάκκος των λεόντων m (lákkos ton leónton, “pit of lions”)
- μερίδα του λέοντος f (merída tou léontos, “lion's share”)
with λέων or λεοντ-
- λεονταρισμός m (leontarismós)
- λεόντειος (leónteios, “leonine”)
- λεοντή f (leontí, “lionskin”)
- λεοντίαση f (leontíasi, “leontiasis”)
- λεοντιδέας m (leontidéas)
- λεοντόκαρδος (leontókardos, “lionheart”)
- λεοντοκεφαλή f (leontokefalí, “lion's head”)
- χαμαιλέων (chamailéon) / χαμαιλέοντας m (chamailéontas, “chameleon”)
- χαμαιλεοντίζω (chamaileontízo)
with λιοντ-, see: λιοντάρι (liontári)
Further reading
[edit]- λέων, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
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