σύλη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σῦλον (sûlon)

Etymology

There is no certain etymology. The word is similar to σκῦλα (skûla, “booty, spoils”), but their relation is unclear, and Beekes is hesitant to assign the word to Pre-Greek, assuming an interchange in initials of σ-/σκ-. He mentions Pisani's theory of a Lydian borrowing, along with Latin spolia, though this is all speculative,^[1] particularly as the Latin has a solid internal derivation.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sy̌ː.lɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.le̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.li/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.li/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.li/

Noun

σῡ́λη • (sū́lē) f (genitive σῡ́λης); first declension

right of seizure of a ship or its cargo of a foreign merchant, to cover losses received through him
(in general) right of seizure, right of reprisal

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σῡ́λη; τῆς σῡ́λης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σῡ́λη hē sū́lē	τὼ σῡ́λᾱ tṑ sū́lā	αἱ σῦλαι hai sûlai
Genitive	τῆς σῡ́λης tês sū́lēs	τοῖν σῡ́λαιν toîn sū́lain	τῶν σῡλῶν tôn sūlôn
Dative	τῇ σῡ́λῃ tēî sū́lēi	τοῖν σῡ́λαιν toîn sū́lain	ταῖς σῡ́λαις taîs sū́lais
Accusative	τὴν σῡ́λην tḕn sū́lēn	τὼ σῡ́λᾱ tṑ sū́lā	τᾱ̀ς σῡ́λᾱς tā̀s sū́lās
Vocative	σῡ́λη sū́lē	σῡ́λᾱ sū́lā	σῦλαι sûlai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἄσυλος (ásulos)
συλάω (suláō)
συλεύς (suleús)
συλεύω (suleúō)
σύλησις (súlēsis)
συλητής (sulētḗs)
συλήτωρ (sulḗtōr)
συλικός (sulikós)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “συλάω (> DER > Further σῡλα > -η)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1422