ἀσφάραγος

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /as.pʰá.ra.ɡos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /asˈpʰa.ra.ɡos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /asˈɸa.ra.ɣos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /asˈfa.ra.ɣos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /asˈfa.ra.ɣos/

Etymology 1

Furnée connects the word with φάραγξ (pháranx, “gorge, ravine”) and μάραγοι (máragoi, “overhanging places”), suggesting a Pre-Greek origin.^[1]

Alternative forms

σφάραγγος (sphárangos)

Noun

ἀσφάρᾰγος • (asphárăgos) m (genitive ἀσφᾰράγου); second declension

(anatomy) throat, gullet

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος; τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος ho asphắrăgos	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	οἱ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι hoi asphắrăgoi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου toû asphărắgou	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τῶν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γων tôn asphărắgōn
Dative	τῷ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γῳ tōî asphărắgōi	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τοῖς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοις toîs asphărắgois
Accusative	τὸν ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγον tòn asphắrăgon	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	τοὺς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γους toùs asphărắgous
Vocative	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγε asphắrăge	ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω asphărắgō	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι asphắrăgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Etymology 2

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pregʰ- (“to jerk, to scatter”) (whence σφαραγέομαι (spharagéomai, “to burst with a noise, teem”)), but Beekes rejects this, citing a Pre-Greek origin due to the presence of the variation "π/φ".^[2]

Alternative forms

ἀσπάραγος (aspáragos)

Noun

ἀσφάρᾰγος • (asphárăgos) m (genitive ἀσφᾰράγου); second declension

asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Synonym: ἀκᾰνθῐ́ᾱς (akănthĭ́ās)
(botany) shoots of other plants

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος; τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος ho asphắrăgos	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	οἱ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι hoi asphắrăgoi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου toû asphărắgou	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τῶν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γων tôn asphărắgōn
Dative	τῷ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γῳ tōî asphărắgōi	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τοῖς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοις toîs asphărắgois
Accusative	τὸν ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγον tòn asphắrăgon	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	τοὺς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γους toùs asphărắgous
Vocative	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγε asphắrăge	ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω asphărắgō	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι asphắrăgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀσφαραγία (aspharagía)
ἀσφαραγωνία (aspharagōnía)

Descendants

Greek: σπαράγγι (sparángi)
- → Romanian: sparanghel
→ Latin: asparagus (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσφάραγος 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 159
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσφάραγος 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 159-60

“ἀσφάραγος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἀσφάραγος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἀσφάραγος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἀσφάραγος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀσφάραγος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἀσφάραγος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Ἀσφάραγος”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσφάραγος 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 159

[2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσφάραγος 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 159-60

[1]

[2]

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Noun

Inflection

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Noun

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading