ψαλτήριον
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From ψάλλω (psállō, “to touch sharply, to pluck, to pull, to twitch”) + -τήριον (-tḗrion), from ψάω (psáō, “to touch lightly, to rub”), which acquired the meaning of plucking a harp, and later making music in general.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /psal.tɛ̌ː.ri.on/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /psalˈte̝.ri.on/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/
Noun
ψᾰλτήρῐον • (psăltḗrĭon) n (genitive ψᾰλτηρῐ́ου); second declension
- stringed instrument, harp
- (Byzantine, Christianity) psalter
Inflection
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ ψᾰλτήρῐον tò psăltḗrĭon |
τὼ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω tṑ psăltērĭ́ō |
τᾰ̀ ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ tằ psăltḗrĭă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ου toû psăltērĭ́ou |
τοῖν ψᾰλτηρῐ́οιν toîn psăltērĭ́oin |
τῶν ψᾰλτηρῐ́ων tôn psăltērĭ́ōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ῳ tōî psăltērĭ́ōi |
τοῖν ψᾰλτηρῐ́οιν toîn psăltērĭ́oin |
τοῖς ψᾰλτηρῐ́οις toîs psăltērĭ́ois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ ψᾰλτήρῐον tò psăltḗrĭon |
τὼ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω tṑ psăltērĭ́ō |
τᾰ̀ ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ tằ psăltḗrĭă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | ψᾰλτήρῐον psăltḗrĭon |
ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω psăltērĭ́ō |
ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ psăltḗrĭă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Descendants
- → Aramaic: פְּסַנְתֵּרִין (psanterín)
- → Greek: ψαλτήριο (psaltírio)
- → Latin: psaltērium (see there for further descendants)
- → Old Church Slavonic: псалътꙑр҄ь (psalŭtyrʹĭ)
Further reading
- “ψαλτήριον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ψαλτήριον in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette