σφόνδυλος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σπόνδῠλος (spóndŭlos) — Ionic, Attic

Etymology

The formation is similar to δάκτυλος (dáktulos) and κόνδυλος (kóndulos), probably first from a noun *σφόνδος (*sphóndos). Sometimes connected with words like σφενδόνη (sphendónē), σφεδανός (sphedanós) and σφαδάζω (sphadázō), but this is mere speculation. The variation σφ/σπ points to a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰón.dy.los/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰon.dy.los/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸon.dy.los/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfon.dy.los/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfon.di.los/

Noun

σφόνδῠλος • (sphóndŭlos) m (genitive σφονδῠ́λου); second declension

vertebra (especially the cervical vertebrae)
joint (especially of a scorpion's tail)
tambour
spindle whorl
whorl (botany)
voting pebble

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σφόνδῠλος; τοῦ σφονδῠ́λου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφόνδῠλος ho sphóndŭlos	τὼ σφονδῠ́λω tṑ sphondŭ́lō	οἱ σφόνδῠλοι hoi sphóndŭloi
Genitive	τοῦ σφονδῠ́λου toû sphondŭ́lou	τοῖν σφονδῠ́λοιν toîn sphondŭ́loin	τῶν σφονδῠ́λων tôn sphondŭ́lōn
Dative	τῷ σφονδῠ́λῳ tōî sphondŭ́lōi	τοῖν σφονδῠ́λοιν toîn sphondŭ́loin	τοῖς σφονδῠ́λοις toîs sphondŭ́lois
Accusative	τὸν σφόνδῠλον tòn sphóndŭlon	τὼ σφονδῠ́λω tṑ sphondŭ́lō	τοὺς σφονδῠ́λους toùs sphondŭ́lous
Vocative	σφόνδῠλε sphóndŭle	σφονδῠ́λω sphondŭ́lō	σφόνδῠλοι sphóndŭloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σφονδύλιον (sphondúlion)
σφονδυλίς (sphondulís)
σφονδυλίων (sphondulíōn)
σφονδυλοδίνητος (sphondulodínētos)
σφονδυλόεις (sphondulóeis)
σφονδυλόμαντις (sphondulómantis)
σφονδυλώδης (sphondulṓdēs)

References

“σφόνδυλος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
σφόνδυλος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- backbone idem, page 58.
- vertebra idem, page 949.
- whorl idem, page 978.

Greek

Noun

σφόνδυλος • (sfóndylos) m (plural σφόνδυλοι)

(colloquial) alternative form of σπόνδυλος (spóndylos)

Declension

Declension of **σφόνδυλος**
	singular	plural
nominative	σφόνδυλος (sfóndylos)	σφόνδυλοι (sfóndyloi)
genitive	σφονδύλου (sfondýlou)	σφονδύλων (sfondýlon)
accusative	σφόνδυλο (sfóndylo)	σφονδύλους (sfondýlous)
vocative	σφόνδυλε (sfóndyle)	σφόνδυλοι (sfóndyloi)