ἐπίσκυρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly related to σκύρος (skúros, “chippings of stone”). Another name for the game was apparently ἐπίκοινος (epíkoinos), from ἐπι- (epi-, “on”) +‎ κοινός (koinós, “common”). The game, or a similar game known as φαινίνδα (phainínda), was later adopted by the Romans, who renamed and transformed it into harpastum, the latinisation of the Ancient Greek ἁρπαστόν (harpastón) (neuter of ἁρπαστός (harpastós)), meaning "snatched away", from the verb ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “seize, filch, take”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pís.kyː.ros/ → /eˈpis.cy.ros/ → /eˈpis.ci.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pís.kyː.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eˈpis.ky.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈpis.cy.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈpis.cy.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈpis.ci.ros/

Noun

ἐπῐ́σκῡρος • (epískūros) m (genitive ἐπῐ́σκῡρου); second declension

1. episkyros (an Ancient Greek ball game in which players on two teams attempted to throw the ball over the heads of the other team)

   Synonym: ἐπίκοινος (epíkoinos)

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἐπῐ́σκῡρος; τοῦ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἐπῐ́σκῡρος ho epískūros	τὼ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω tṑ episkū́rō	οἱ ἐπῐ́σκῡροι hoi epískūroi
Genitive	τοῦ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου toû episkū́rou	τοῖν ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιν toîn episkū́roin	τῶν ἐπῐσκῡ́ρων tôn episkū́rōn
Dative	τῷ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρῳ tôi episkū́rōi	τοῖν ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιν toîn episkū́roin	τοῖς ἐπῐσκῡ́ροις toîs episkū́rois
Accusative	τὸν ἐπῐ́σκῡρον tòn epískūron	τὼ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω tṑ episkū́rō	τοὺς ἐπῐσκῡ́ρους toùs episkū́rous
Vocative	ἐπῐ́σκῡρε epískūre	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω episkū́rō	ἐπῐ́σκῡροι epískūroi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ἐπῐ́σκῡρος; ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἐπῐ́σκῡρος epískūros	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω episkū́rō	ἐπῐ́σκῡροι epískūroi
Genitive	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου / ἐπῐσκῡροῖο / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιο / ἐπῐσκῡρόο / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροο episkū́rou / episkūroîo / episkū́roio / episkūróo / episkū́roo	ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιῐν episkū́roiin	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρων episkū́rōn
Dative	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρῳ episkū́rōi	ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιῐν episkū́roiin	ἐπῐσκῡ́ροισῐ / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροισῐν / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροις episkū́roisi(n) / episkū́rois
Accusative	ἐπῐ́σκῡρον epískūron	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω episkū́rō	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρους episkū́rous
Vocative	ἐπῐ́σκῡρε epískūre	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω episkū́rō	ἐπῐ́σκῡροι epískūroi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Second declension of ὁ ἐπῐ́σκῡρος; τοῦ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἐπῐ́σκῡρος ho epískūros	τὼ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω tṑ episkū́rō	οἱ ἐπῐ́σκῡροι hoi epískūroi
Genitive	τοῦ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρου toû episkū́rou	τοῖν ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιν toîn episkū́roin	τῶν ἐπῐσκῡ́ρων tôn episkū́rōn
Dative	τῷ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρῳ tôi episkū́rōi	τοῖν ἐπῐσκῡ́ροιν toîn episkū́roin	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν ἐπῐσκῡ́ροισῐ / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροισῐν / ἐπῐσκῡ́ροις toîsi(n) episkū́roisi(n) / episkū́rois
Accusative	τὸν ἐπῐ́σκῡρον tòn epískūron	τὼ ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω tṑ episkū́rō	τοὺς ἐπῐσκῡ́ρους toùs episkū́rous
Vocative	ἐπῐ́σκῡρε epískūre	ἐπῐσκῡ́ρω episkū́rō	ἐπῐ́σκῡροι epískūroi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

References

• “ἐπίσκυρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press