ἀλκυών

Ancient Greek

Unknown, apparently from Pre-Greek. The variant ἁλκυών (halkuṓn) arose by folk etymology as ἅλς (háls, “salt”) + κυέω (kuéō, “to conceive”).

ἀλκυών • (alkuṓn) f (genitive ἀλκυόνος); third declension

kingfisher, halcyon
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.562–564:
  οὕνεκ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῆς / μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα / κλαῖεν
  hoúnek’ ár’ autês / mḗtēr alkuónos polupenthéos oîton ékhousa / klaîen
  because her / mother, having the fate of the much-suffering kingfisher, / wept.
- [5th c. C.E., Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:
  ἀλκυών· εἶδος ὀρνέου
  alkuṓn; eîdos ornéou
  alkuṓn: a species of bird]
(Laconian) A divinity.
- [5th c. C.E., Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:
  ἀλκυών· […] καὶ δαίμων τις ⟨παρὰ Λάκωσι⟩
  alkuṓn; […] kaì daímōn tis ⟨parà Lákōsi⟩
  alkuṓn: […] and a divinity among the Laconians]

Third declension of ἡ ἀλκῠών; τῆς ἀλκῠόνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἀλκῠών hē alkŭṓn	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkŭóne	αἱ ἀλκῠόνες hai alkŭónes
Genitive	τῆς ἀλκῠόνος tês alkŭónos	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkŭónoin	τῶν ἀλκῠόνων tôn alkŭónōn
Dative	τῇ ἀλκῠόνῐ tēî alkŭónĭ	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkŭónoin	ταῖς ἀλκῠόσῐ / ἀλκῠόσῐν taîs alkŭósĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ἀλκῠόνᾰ tḕn alkŭónă	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkŭóne	τᾱ̀ς ἀλκῠόνᾰς tā̀s alkŭónăs
Vocative	ἀλκῠών alkŭṓn	ἀλκῠόνε alkŭóne	ἀλκῠόνες alkŭónes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.