γλῶσσα

See also: γλώσσα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

γλάσσᾰ (glássă) — Ionic
γλῶττᾰ (glôttă) — Attic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *glṓťťā; further etymology uncertain. Per Beekes, perhaps originally “provided with a point”, equivalent to γλῶχες (glôkhes, “beard of corn”) +‎ -ια (-ia), from Proto-Indo-European *glṓgʰs ~ *gl̥gʰós (“point”) (assuming cognacy with Proto-Slavic *glogъ (“thorn, hawthorn”), but the connection is disputed).^[1] Alternatively, related to Proto-Germanic *tulgaz (“tongue”), a poetic word, from a different Proto-Indo-European root noun *dlṓgʰs ~ *dl̥gʰós; compare γλυκύς (glukús) for the phonetics.^[2] Or, possibly related to Albanian gjuhë (“tongue”),^[3] but the irregular correspondence would point to a substrate language. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡlɔ̂ːs.sa/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlos.sa/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣlos.sa/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣlos.sa/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈɣlo.sa/

Noun

γλῶσσᾰ • (glôssă) f (genitive γλώσσης); first declension (Ionic)

(anatomy) The tongue.
A language.
Anything shaped like the tongue:
1. (music) The mouthpiece of a pipe.
2. The tongue or thong of leather, shoe-latchet.
3. The tongue of land.
4. Ingot.
5. (divination) The marking on the liver.

Inflection

First declension of ἡ γλῶσσᾰ; τῆς γλώσσης (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γλῶσσᾰ hē glôssă	τὼ γλώσσᾱ tṑ glṓssā	αἱ γλῶσσαι hai glôssai
Genitive	τῆς γλώσσης tês glṓssēs	τοῖν γλώσσαιν toîn glṓssain	τῶν γλωσσέων / γλωσσῶν tôn glōsséōn / glōssôn
Dative	τῇ γλώσσῃ tēî glṓssēi	τοῖν γλώσσαιν toîn glṓssain	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν γλώσσῃσῐ / γλώσσῃσῐν tēîsĭ(n) glṓssēisĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν γλῶσσᾰν tḕn glôssăn	τὼ γλώσσᾱ tṑ glṓssā	τᾱ̀ς γλώσσᾱς tā̀s glṓssās
Vocative	γλῶσσᾰ glôssă	γλώσσᾱ glṓssā	γλῶσσαι glôssai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

First declension of ᾱ̔ γλώσσᾱ; τᾶς γλώσσᾱς (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾱ̔ γλώσσᾱ hā glṓssā	τὼ γλώσσᾱ tṑ glṓssā	ταὶ γλῶσσαι taì glôssai
Genitive	τᾶς γλώσσᾱς tâs glṓssās	τοῖν γλώσσαιν toîn glṓssain	τᾶν γλωσσᾶν tân glōssân
Dative	τᾷ γλώσσᾳ tāî glṓssāi	τοῖν γλώσσαιν toîn glṓssain	ταῖς γλώσσαις taîs glṓssais
Accusative	τᾱ̀ν γλώσσᾱν tā̀n glṓssān	τὼ γλώσσᾱ tṑ glṓssā	τᾱ̀ς γλώσσᾱς tā̀s glṓssās
Vocative	γλώσσᾱ glṓssā	γλώσσᾱ glṓssā	γλῶσσαι glôssai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

ᾰ̓γκῠλόγλωσσον (ănkŭlóglōsson)
ᾰ̓γλωσσος (ăglōssos)
ᾰ̓λλόγλωσσος (ăllóglōssos)
βᾰθῠ́γλωσσος (băthŭ́glōssos)
βούγλωσσον (boúglōsson)
βρᾰδῠ́γλωσσος (brădŭ́glōssos)
γλῶσσαι (glôssai)
γλώσσᾰλγος (glṓssălgos)
γλωσσᾰ́ρῐον (glōssắrĭon)
γλώσσημᾰ (glṓssēmă)
γλωσσογρᾰ́φος (glōssogrắphos)
γλωσσοκομεῖον (glōssokomeîon)
γλωσσοτομέ (glōssotomé)
γλωσσώδης (glōssṓdēs)
δῐ́γλωσσος (dĭ́glōssos)
ἐπῐγλωσσᾰ́ομαι (epĭglōssắomai)
ἐπῐγλωσσῐ́ς (epĭglōssĭ́s)
ἑτερόγλωσσος (heteróglōssos)
εὔγλωσσος (eúglōssos)
εὐθῠ́γλωσσος (euthŭ́glōssos)
ῐ̓δῐόγλωσσος (ĭdĭóglōssos)
ῐ̔ερόγλωσσος (hĭeróglōssos)
κῠνόγλωσσος (kŭnóglōssos)
μελῐ́γλωσσος (melĭ́glōssos)
ὁμόγλωσσος (homóglōssos)
πᾰλῐ́γγλωσσος (pălĭ́nglōssos)
πῐκρόγλωσσος (pĭkróglōssos)
πλᾰτῠ́γλωσσος (plătŭ́glōssos)
πολῠ́γλωσσος (polŭ́glōssos)
πρόγλωσσος (próglōssos)
τᾰχῠ́γλωσσος (tăkhŭ́glōssos)
ῠ̒πογλωσσί̆ς (ŭ̒poglōssí̆s)
ῠ̒πόγλωσσον (ŭ̒póglōsson)
ῠ̒πόγλωσσος (ŭ̒póglōssos)
χᾰρῐτόγλωσσος (khărĭtóglōssos)

Descendants

Inherited

Greek: γλώσσα (glóssa)
Italiot Greek: glossa
Mariupol Greek: гло́са (hlósa)
Tsakonian: γρούσσα (groússa)

Borrowed

→ English: glossa
→ Latin: glossa, glōsa, gloss. (abbreviation)
- Italian: chiosa, → glossa
- → Catalan: glossa
- → Middle English: glosse
  - English: gloss
- → Middle High German: glōse
  - German: Glosse
- → Old French: glose
  - Middle French: glose
    - French: glose
  - → Czech: glosa
- → Old Galician-Portuguese: glosa
  - Portuguese: glosa
- → Old Irish: glúas
  - Middle Irish: glúais
    - Irish: gluais
- → Old Spanish: glosa
  - Spanish: glosa
- → Polish: glosa
- → Romanian: glosă

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “γλῶσσα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 278
^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*tulga-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 525
^ Camarda, Demetrio (1864) Saggio di grammatologia comparata sulla lingua albanese (in Italian), Livorno: Successore di Egisto Vignozzi