Κύκλωψ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *Kúklōps, potentially from Proto-Indo-European *Pḱúklōps (“cattle thief”). Decomposes as κύκλος (kúklos, “wheel, circle”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye”). Another proposal for the etymology is Proto-Indo-European *pḱú-klōps (“cattle thief”), becoming obscured after the loss of the word *péḱu. (See κλώψ (klṓps) for the second component.) Cattle thieves are pervasive in Indo-European mythology; before the folk etymology, the Cyclops would have been a cattle thief of no unusual facial disposition.^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ký.klɔːps/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈky.klops/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈcy.klops/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈcy.klops/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈci.klops/

Noun

Κύκλωψ • (Kúklōps) m (genitive Κύκλωπος or Κύκλοπος); third declension

a cyclops

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ; τοῦ Κῠ́κλωπος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ ho Kŭ́klōps	τὼ Κῠ́κλωπε tṑ Kŭ́klōpe	οἱ Κῠ́κλωπες hoi Kŭ́klōpes
Genitive	τοῦ Κῠ́κλωπος toû Kŭ́klōpos	τοῖν Κῠκλώποιν toîn Kŭklṓpoin	τῶν Κῠκλώπων tôn Kŭklṓpōn
Dative	τῷ Κῠ́κλωπῐ tōî Kŭ́klōpĭ	τοῖν Κῠκλώποιν toîn Kŭklṓpoin	τοῖς Κῠ́κλωψῐ / Κῠ́κλωψῐν toîs Kŭ́klōpsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Κῠ́κλωπᾰ tòn Kŭ́klōpă	τὼ Κῠ́κλωπε tṑ Kŭ́klōpe	τοὺς Κῠ́κλωπᾰς toùs Kŭ́klōpăs
Vocative	Κῠ́κλωψ Kŭ́klōps	Κῠ́κλωπε Kŭ́klōpe	Κῠ́κλωπες Kŭ́klōpes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ; τοῦ Κῠ́κλοπος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ ho Kŭ́klōps	τὼ Κῠ́κλοπε tṑ Kŭ́klope	οἱ Κῠ́κλοπες hoi Kŭ́klopes
Genitive	τοῦ Κῠ́κλοπος toû Kŭ́klopos	τοῖν Κῠκλόποιν toîn Kŭklópoin	τῶν Κῠκλόπων tôn Kŭklópōn
Dative	τῷ Κῠ́κλοπῐ tōî Kŭ́klopĭ	τοῖν Κῠκλόποιν toîn Kŭklópoin	τοῖς Κῠ́κλοψῐ / Κῠ́κλοψῐν toîs Kŭ́klopsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Κῠ́κλοπᾰ tòn Kŭ́klopă	τὼ Κῠ́κλοπε tṑ Kŭ́klope	τοὺς Κῠ́κλοπᾰς toùs Kŭ́klopăs
Vocative	Κῠ́κλωψ Kŭ́klōps	Κῠ́κλοπε Kŭ́klope	Κῠ́κλοπες Kŭ́klopes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Κυκλωπεία (Kuklōpeía)
Κυκλώπειος (Kuklṓpeios)
Κυκλωπία (Kuklōpía)
Κυκλωπικός (Kuklōpikós)
Κυκλωπικῶς (Kuklōpikôs)
Κυκλώπιον (Kuklṓpion)
Κυκλώπιος (Kuklṓpios)
Κυκλωπίς (Kuklōpís)

Descendants

→ English: cyclops
Greek: Κύκλωψ (Kýklops), Κύκλωπας (Kýklopas)
→ Latin: cyclōps

References

^ Paul Thieme, "Etymologische Vexierbilder", Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung 69 (1951): 177-78; Burkert (1982), p. 157; J.P.S. Beekes, Indo-European Etymological Project, s.v. Cyclops.[1]

“Κύκλωψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“Κύκλωψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,007

[1] Paul Thieme, "Etymologische Vexierbilder", Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung 69 (1951): 177-78; Burkert (1982), p. 157; J.P.S. Beekes, Indo-European Etymological Project, s.v. Cyclops.[1]

[1]