νηφάλιος
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- νηφαλέος (nēphaléos), νήφαλος (nḗphalos) (both very rare)
Etymology
From νήφω (nḗphō, “to be sober, to abstain from wine, to be self-controlled”) + -άλιος (-álios). This family of words pertaining to sobriety (including also νήφων m (nḗphōn), νηφαίνω (nēphaínō, verb)) are related to Old Armenian նաւթի (nawtʻi, “fasting”, adjective). Ultimately, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *n-H(H)gʷʰ-ti-o- or from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“to drink”) prefixed with the negative particle *n̥-.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /nɛː.pʰá.li.os/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ne̝ˈpʰa.li.os/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /niˈɸa.li.os/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /niˈfa.li.os/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /niˈfa.li.os/
Adjective
νηφάλιος • (nēphálios) m (feminine νηφαλία, neuter νηφάλιον); first/second declension
- (of people) sober, not inebriated
- unmixed with wine, wineless
- νηφάλιαι θυσίαι ― nēpháliai thusíai ― wineless libations/sacrifices
- νηφάλια θύειν ― nēphália thúein ― to offer wineless libations
- νηφάλια μειλίγματα ― nēphália meilígmata ― offerings of water, milk, and honey to the Eumenides
- νηφάλιος κρατήρ ― nēphálios kratḗr ― krater containing liquids unmixed with wine
- νηφάλια ξύλα ― nēphália xúla ― wood other than vine twigs, burned in sacrifices
Declension
| Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
| Nominative | νηφᾰ́λῐος nēphắlĭos |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱ nēphălĭ́ā |
νηφᾰ́λῐον nēphắlĭon |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱ nēphălĭ́ā |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰ́λῐοι nēphắlĭoi |
νηφᾰ́λῐαι nēphắlĭai |
νηφᾰ́λῐᾰ nēphắlĭă | |||||
| Genitive | νηφᾰλῐ́ου nēphălĭ́ou |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱς nēphălĭ́ās |
νηφᾰλῐ́ου nēphălĭ́ou |
νηφᾰλῐ́οιν nēphălĭ́oin |
νηφᾰλῐ́αιν nēphălĭ́ain |
νηφᾰλῐ́οιν nēphălĭ́oin |
νηφᾰλῐ́ων nēphălĭ́ōn |
νηφᾰλῐ́ων nēphălĭ́ōn |
νηφᾰλῐ́ων nēphălĭ́ōn | |||||
| Dative | νηφᾰλῐ́ῳ nēphălĭ́ōi |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾳ nēphălĭ́āi |
νηφᾰλῐ́ῳ nēphălĭ́ōi |
νηφᾰλῐ́οιν nēphălĭ́oin |
νηφᾰλῐ́αιν nēphălĭ́ain |
νηφᾰλῐ́οιν nēphălĭ́oin |
νηφᾰλῐ́οις nēphălĭ́ois |
νηφᾰλῐ́αις nēphălĭ́ais |
νηφᾰλῐ́οις nēphălĭ́ois | |||||
| Accusative | νηφᾰ́λῐον nēphắlĭon |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱν nēphălĭ́ān |
νηφᾰ́λῐον nēphắlĭon |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱ nēphălĭ́ā |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰλῐ́ους nēphălĭ́ous |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱς nēphălĭ́ās |
νηφᾰ́λῐᾰ nēphắlĭă | |||||
| Vocative | νηφᾰ́λῐε nēphắlĭe |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱ nēphălĭ́ā |
νηφᾰ́λῐον nēphắlĭon |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰλῐ́ᾱ nēphălĭ́ā |
νηφᾰλῐ́ω nēphălĭ́ō |
νηφᾰ́λῐοι nēphắlĭoi |
νηφᾰ́λῐαι nēphắlĭai |
νηφᾰ́λῐᾰ nēphắlĭă | |||||
| Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
| νηφᾰλῐ́ως nēphălĭ́ōs |
νηφᾰλῐώτερος nēphălĭṓteros |
νηφᾰλῐώτᾰτος nēphălĭṓtătos | ||||||||||||
| Notes: |
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Derived terms
- νηφαλιότης f (nēphaliótēs, “sobriety”)
- νηφαλίως (nēphalíōs, “in a sober manner”, adverb)
- νηφαλιεύω (nēphalieúō, “to offer wineless libations”, verb)
- νηφαλιεύς (nēphalieús, “sober (as an epithet of Apollo)”, adjective)
Further reading
- “νηφάλιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “νηφάλιος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- νηφάλιος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Greek
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νηφάλιος (nēphálios).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /niˈfa.li.os/
- Hyphenation: νη‧φά‧λι‧ος
Adjective
νηφάλιος • (nifálios) m (feminine νηφάλια, neuter νηφάλιο)
- calm, astute, sober, collected, dispassionate
- νηφάλια σκέψη ― nifália sképsi ― a sober thought
- sober, not drunk
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | ||
| nominative | νηφάλιος (nifálios) | νηφάλια (nifália) | νηφάλιο (nifálio) | νηφάλιοι (nifálioi) | νηφάλιες (nifálies) | νηφάλια (nifália) | |
| genitive | νηφάλιου (nifáliou) | νηφάλιας (nifálias) | νηφάλιου (nifáliou) | νηφάλιων (nifálion) | νηφάλιων (nifálion) | νηφάλιων (nifálion) | |
| accusative | νηφάλιο (nifálio) | νηφάλια (nifália) | νηφάλιο (nifálio) | νηφάλιους (nifálious) | νηφάλιες (nifálies) | νηφάλια (nifália) | |
| vocative | νηφάλιε (nifálie) | νηφάλια (nifália) | νηφάλιο (nifálio) | νηφάλιοι (nifálioi) | νηφάλιες (nifálies) | νηφάλια (nifália) | |
Derivations:
Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο νηφάλιος, etc.)
Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο νηφάλιος, etc.)
Derivations: relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο νηφαλιότερος", etc)
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Related terms
- νηφάλια (nifália, “soberly, calmly”, adverb)
- νηφαλίως (nifalíos, “soberly, calmly”, adverb)
- νηφαλιότητα f (nifaliótita, “sobriety”)
Further reading
- νηφάλιος, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language