σῶς

See also: σως

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σόος (sóos), σῶος (sôos), σῷος (sōîos), σαός (saós)

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Hellenic *twáwos or similar, from Proto-Indo-European *tweh₂-, metathesis of *tewh₂- (“to be strong, whole”).^[1] Beekes suggests the original word was *sáus (*σαυς), which thematicized to *sáwos (*σάϝος).

Compare Old Armenian քաւ (kʻaw, “expiation”). Related to σάλος (sálos), σῶμα (sôma), σωρός (sōrós).

Adjective

σῶς • (sôs) m or f (neuter σῶν); second declension or
σῶς • (sôs) m (feminine σᾶ, neuter σῶν); first/second declension

safe and sound, alive and well

Declension

When declined as a two-ending adjective, the masculine forms serve as feminine as well.

First and second declension of σῶς; σᾶ; σῶν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	σῶς / σόος sôs / sóos	σᾶ / σόη sâ / sóē	σῶν / σόον sôn / sóon	σόω sóō	σόᾱ sóā	σόω sóō	σῷ / σοῖ / σόοι / σῶοι sōî / soî / sóoi / sôoi	σόαι sóai	σᾶ / σόα sâ / sóa
Genitive	σόου sóou	σόης sóēs	σόου sóou	σόοιν sóoin	σόαιν sóain	σόοιν sóoin	σόων sóōn	σόων sóōn	σόων sóōn
Dative	σόῳ sóōi	σόῃ sóēi	σόῳ sóōi	σόοιν sóoin	σόαιν sóain	σόοιν sóoin	σόοις sóois	σόαις sóais	σόοις sóois
Accusative	σῶν / σόον sôn / sóon	σόην sóēn	σῶν / σόον sôn / sóon	σόω sóō	σόᾱ sóā	σόω sóō	σῶς sôs	σόᾱς sóās	σᾶ / σόα sâ / sóa
Vocative	σόε sóe	σᾶ / σόη sâ / sóē	σῶν / σόον sôn / sóon	σόω sóō	σόᾱ sóā	σόω sóō	σῷ / σοῖ / σόοι / σῶοι sōî / soî / sóoi / sôoi	σόαι sóai	σᾶ / σόα sâ / sóa
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	σόως sóōs			σαώτερος saṓteros			σοώτᾰτος soṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σῴζω (sōízō)
Σωκράτης (Sōkrátēs)
σώσανδρον (sṓsandron)
Σωσίας (Sōsías)
Σωστράτη (Sōstrátē)
Σώστρατος (Sṓstratos)
σωτήρ (sōtḗr)
σώφρων (sṓphrōn)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σῶς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1440-1

“σῶς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
σῶς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
σῶς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“σῶς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“σῶς”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- safe idem, page 730.
- scathless idem, page 738.
- secure idem, page 747.
- unharmed idem, page 920.
- unhurt idem, page 921.
- unimpaired idem, page 921.
- uninjured idem, page 922.
- unscathed idem, page 931.
- unwounded idem, page 937.
- whole idem, page 977.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σῶς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1440-1

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