σπέρμα
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From Proto-Hellenic *spérmə, from Proto-Indo-European *spérmn̥, which consists of Proto-Indo-European *sper- + *-mn̥. By surface analysis, σπείρω (speírō) + -μα (-ma). Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀟𐀔 (pe-ma).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /spér.ma/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈsper.ma/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈsper.ma/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈsper.ma/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈsper.ma/
Noun
σπέρμα • (spérma) n (genitive σπέρμᾰτος); third declension
- (botany) seed
- semen, sperm
- seed-time, sowing
- (figuratively) germ, origin of anything
- race, origin, descent
- (poetic) seed, offspring
Declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ σπέρμᾰ tò spérmă |
τὼ σπέρμᾰτε tṑ spérmăte |
τᾰ̀ σπέρμᾰτᾰ tằ spérmătă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ σπέρμᾰτος toû spérmătos |
τοῖν σπερμᾰ́τοιν toîn spermắtoin |
τῶν σπερμᾰ́των tôn spermắtōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ σπέρμᾰτῐ tōî spérmătĭ |
τοῖν σπερμᾰ́τοιν toîn spermắtoin |
τοῖς σπέρμᾰσῐ / σπέρμᾰσῐν toîs spérmăsĭ(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ σπέρμᾰ tò spérmă |
τὼ σπέρμᾰτε tṑ spérmăte |
τᾰ̀ σπέρμᾰτᾰ tằ spérmătă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | σπέρμᾰ spérmă |
σπέρμᾰτε spérmăte |
σπέρμᾰτᾰ spérmătă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- λιθόσπερμον (lithóspermon)
- λινόσπερμον (linóspermon)
- σπερμαίνω (spermaínō)
- σπερματία (spermatía)
- σπερματίας (spermatías)
- σπερματίζω (spermatízō)
- σπερματικός (spermatikós)
- σπερμάτιον (spermátion)
- σπερματισμός (spermatismós)
- σπερματῖτις (spermatîtis)
- σπερματόομαι (spermatóomai)
- σπερματοποιέω (spermatopoiéō)
- σπερματοπώλης (spermatopṓlēs)
- σπερματοῦχος (spermatoûkhos)
- σπερματοφάγος (spermatophágos)
- σπερματώδης (spermatṓdēs)
- σπερμάτωσις (spermátōsis)
- σπερμεῖον (spermeîon)
- σπερμεῖος (spermeîos)
- σπερμοβόλος (spermobólos)
- σπερμογόνος (spermogónos)
- σπερμολόγος (spermológos)
- σπερμονόμος (spermonómos)
- σπερμοτοκέω (spermotokéō)
- σπερμοφόρος (spermophóros)
- σπερμοφυέω (spermophuéō)
- σπερμοφυής (spermophuḗs)
Descendants
- Greek: σπέρμα (spérma)
- Mariupol Greek: спе́рма (spjérma)
- → Coptic: ⲥⲡⲉⲣⲙⲁ (sperma)
- → Latin: sperma (see there for further descendants)
Further reading
- “σπέρμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “σπέρμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “σπέρμα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- σπέρμα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- σπέρμα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- G4690 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- brood idem, page 101.
- child idem, page 129.
- crew idem, page 184.
- descendant idem, page 214.
- descent idem, page 214.
- element idem, page 265.
- family idem, page 305.
- germ idem, page 357.
- grain idem, page 369.
- line idem, page 492.
- lineage idem, page 493.
- offspring idem, page 571.
- pack idem, page 588.
- parentage idem, page 592.
- progeny idem, page 653.
- race idem, page 667.
- root idem, page 721.
- seed idem, page 749.
- son idem, page 793.
- spawn idem, page 798.
- stem idem, page 815.
- stock idem, page 818.
- tribe idem, page 894.
Greek
Etymology
Inherited from Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “seed, semen”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈspeɾ.ma/
- Hyphenation: σπέρ‧μα
Noun
σπέρμα • (spérma) n (plural σπέρματα)
- (biology, botany) seed, the seed of plants.
- (biology, medicine) human or animal seed, semen, sperm
- (figuratively) the origin, the source, the germ, a primeval element
- (figuratively) offspring, descendants, race, issue.
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | σπέρμα (spérma) | σπέρματα (spérmata) |
| genitive | σπέρματος (spérmatos) | σπερμάτων (spermáton) |
| accusative | σπέρμα (spérma) | σπέρματα (spérmata) |
| vocative | σπέρμα (spérma) | σπέρματα (spérmata) |
Related terms
- άσπερμος (áspermos, “seedless”, adjective)
- σπερματοζωάριο n (spermatozoário, “spermatozoon, sperm”)
Further reading
- σπέρμα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia el
- σπέρμα, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language