Νικαεύς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Irregularly formed from Νῑ́κα(ιᾰ) (Nī́ka(iă), “Nicaea”) +‎ -εύς (-eús, suffix forming demonyms). The twelfth-century Etymologicum Magnum criticises the omission of the ι (i, “iota”) whilst acknowledging that such omission is common in terms formed on iota-terminal stems suffixed with -εύς (-eús).^[1]

Pronunciation

(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ni.kaˈefs/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ni.kaˈefs/

Noun

Νῑκαεύς • (Nīkaeús) m (genitive Νῑκαέως); third declension

(Byzantine, demonym) Nicaean (person from Nicaea)
- p. 1071, Ἰωάννης Ξιφιλῖνος [Iōánnēs Xiphilînos], Ἐκ τῶν Δίωνος τοῦ Νικαέως Ρωμαϊκῶν ἱστοριῶν, ἀπὸ Πομπηΐου Μάγνου μέχρις Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μαμαίας, ἐπιτομή [Ek tôn Díōnos toû Nikaéōs Rōmaïkôn historiôn, apò Pompēḯou Mágnou mékhris Alexándrou toû Mamaías, epitomḗ], Lutetia: Robertus Stephanus, published 1551, page 3:
  Επιτομὴ τῆς Δίωνος τȣ͂ Νικαέως Ρωμαϊκῆς ἱϛορίας, ἣν συνέτεμεν Ιωάννης ὁ Ξιφίλινος, περιέχουσα μοναρχίας Καισάρων εἰκοσὶ πέντε, ἀπὸ Πομπηΐου Μάγνου μέχρις Αλεξάνδρου τȣ͂ Μαμαίας.
  Epitomḕ tês Díōnos toû Nikaéōs Rōmaïkês historías, hḕn sunétemen Iōánnēs ho Xiphílinos, periékhousa monarkhías Kaisárōn eikosì pénte, apò Pompēḯou Mágnou mékhris Alexándrou toû Mamaías.
  A summary of Dio the Nicaean’s Roman History, which John Xiphilinus abridged, comprising the reigns of twenty-five emperors, from Pompey the Great to Alexander the [son] of Mamaea.

Declension

Third declension of ὁ Νῑκαεύς; τοῦ Νῑκαέως (Byzantine)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Νῑκαεύς ho Nīkaeús	τὼ Νῑκαῆ tṑ Nīkaê	οἱ Νῑκαῆς / Νῑκαεῖς hoi Nīkaês / Nīkaeîs
Genitive	τοῦ Νῑκαέως toû Nīkaéōs	τοῖν Νῑκαέοιν toîn Nīkaéoin	τῶν Νῑκαέων tôn Nīkaéōn
Dative	τῷ Νῑκαέῐ̈ / Νῑκαεῖ tōî Nīkaéĭ̈ / Nīkaeî	τοῖν Νῑκαέοιν toîn Nīkaéoin	τοῖς Νῑκαεῦσῐ / Νῑκαεῦσῐν toîs Nīkaeûsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Νῑκαέᾱ tòn Nīkaéā	τὼ Νῑκαῆ tṑ Nīkaê	τοὺς Νῑκαέᾱς toùs Nīkaéās
Vocative	Νῑκαεῦ Nīkaeû	Νῑκαῆ Nīkaê	Νῑκαῆς / Νῑκαεῖς Nīkaês / Nīkaeîs
Notes:	The first form is uncontracted, the second contracted.

References

^ Thomas Gaisford, editor (c. 1150), Etymologicon magnum; seu verius, Lexicon saepissime vocabulorum origines indagans, ex pluribus lexicis, scholiastis et grammaticis anonymi cujusdam opera concinnatum. (in Byzantine Greek), Oxonium: Typographeum Academicum, published 1848, s.v. Εὔβοια, column 389, lines 6–13:
Τὸ ἐθνικὸν, Εὐβοεὺς, καθ’ ὑφαίρεσιν τοῦ ι· τὰ γὰρ εἰς α λήγοντα φυλάττει τὴν παραλήγουσαν τοῦ πρωτοτύπου καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰς ευς· οἷον Ἐλλοπία, Ἐλλοπιεύς· Ὀρθωσία, Ὀρθωσιεύς. Οὕτως καὶ Εὔβοια Εὐβοιεὺς ὤφειλεν εἶναι· οἱ δὲ λέγοντες τὸ Εὐβοεῖς καὶ Φωκαεῖς σὺν τῷ ι ἁμαρτάνουσιν. Ἕοικε δὲ τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς τοιούτοις τὸ ι ἀποβάλλειν, ὡς Νύσσα, Νυσσαεύς· Νίκαια, Νικαεύς.
Tò ethnikòn, Euboeùs, kath’ huphaíresin toû i; tà gàr eis a lḗgonta phuláttei tḕn paralḗgousan toû prōtotúpou kaì en toîs eis eus; hoîon Ellopía, Ellopieús; Orthōsía, Orthōsieús. Hoútōs kaì Eúboia Euboieùs ṓpheilen eînai; hoi dè légontes tò Euboeîs kaì Phōkaeîs sùn tōî i hamartánousin. Héoike dè tà pollà toîs toioútois tò i apobállein, hōs Nússa, Nussaeús; Níkaia, Nikaeús.
The demonym, Εὐβοεύς, [was formed] by omission of the ι; since the words terminating in -α preserve the penult of the root-word, likewise [should] the words in -ευς: as, for instance, Ἐλλοπία, Ἐλλοπιεύς; Ὀρθωσία, Ὀρθωσιεύς. Thus likewise ought Εὔβοια’s [demonym] to be Εὐβοιεύς; and those saying the words Εὐβοεῖς and Φωκαεῖς misspeak regarding the ι. But it seems likely that most words with such features drop the ι, as Νύσσα, Νυσσαεύς; Νίκαια, Νικαεύς.

[1] Thomas Gaisford, editor (c. 1150), Etymologicon magnum; seu verius, Lexicon saepissime vocabulorum origines indagans, ex pluribus lexicis, scholiastis et grammaticis anonymi cujusdam opera concinnatum. (in Byzantine Greek), Oxonium: Typographeum Academicum, published 1848, s.v. Εὔβοια, column 389, lines 6–13:
Τὸ ἐθνικὸν, Εὐβοεὺς, καθ’ ὑφαίρεσιν τοῦ ι· τὰ γὰρ εἰς α λήγοντα φυλάττει τὴν παραλήγουσαν τοῦ πρωτοτύπου καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰς ευς· οἷον Ἐλλοπία, Ἐλλοπιεύς· Ὀρθωσία, Ὀρθωσιεύς. Οὕτως καὶ Εὔβοια Εὐβοιεὺς ὤφειλεν εἶναι· οἱ δὲ λέγοντες τὸ Εὐβοεῖς καὶ Φωκαεῖς σὺν τῷ ι ἁμαρτάνουσιν. Ἕοικε δὲ τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς τοιούτοις τὸ ι ἀποβάλλειν, ὡς Νύσσα, Νυσσαεύς· Νίκαια, Νικαεύς.
Tò ethnikòn, Euboeùs, kath’ huphaíresin toû i; tà gàr eis a lḗgonta phuláttei tḕn paralḗgousan toû prōtotúpou kaì en toîs eis eus; hoîon Ellopía, Ellopieús; Orthōsía, Orthōsieús. Hoútōs kaì Eúboia Euboieùs ṓpheilen eînai; hoi dè légontes tò Euboeîs kaì Phōkaeîs sùn tōî i hamartánousin. Héoike dè tà pollà toîs toioútois tò i apobállein, hōs Nússa, Nussaeús; Níkaia, Nikaeús.
The demonym, Εὐβοεύς, [was formed] by omission of the ι; since the words terminating in -α preserve the penult of the root-word, likewise [should] the words in -ευς: as, for instance, Ἐλλοπία, Ἐλλοπιεύς; Ὀρθωσία, Ὀρθωσιεύς. Thus likewise ought Εὔβοια’s [demonym] to be Εὐβοιεύς; and those saying the words Εὐβοεῖς and Φωκαεῖς misspeak regarding the ι. But it seems likely that most words with such features drop the ι, as Νύσσα, Νυσσαεύς; Νίκαια, Νικαεύς.

[1]