ἆθλον
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
Etymology
From an earlier *ἄϝεθλον (*áwethlon), traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow (of wind)”) + *-dʰlom (forms nouns denoting tool or instrument), as if "gasp, pant, wheeze", if not from a similar root meaning "to strive". (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?) Other theories compare the word to Sanskrit वायति (vāyati, “to be tired”), the latter from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to leave, abandon”).
However, Beekes dismisses the connection with the Sanskrit and does not mention the *h₂weh₁- derivation, instead deriving the Greek from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂wedʰ- (“to contest, compete”), albeit with no known cognates outside of Greek.[1]
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /âː.tʰlon/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈa.tʰlon/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈa.θlon/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈa.θlon/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈa.θlon/
Noun
ἆθλον • (âthlon) n (genitive ἄθλου); second declension (Attic, contracted)
Inflection
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ ἆθλον tò âthlon |
τὼ ᾱ̓́θλω tṑ ā́thlō |
τᾰ̀ ἆθλᾰ tằ âthlă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ ᾱ̓́θλου toû ā́thlou |
τοῖν ᾱ̓́θλοιν toîn ā́thloin |
τῶν ᾱ̓́θλων tôn ā́thlōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ ᾱ̓́θλῳ tōî ā́thlōi |
τοῖν ᾱ̓́θλοιν toîn ā́thloin |
τοῖς ᾱ̓́θλοις toîs ā́thlois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ ἆθλον tò âthlon |
τὼ ᾱ̓́θλω tṑ ā́thlō |
τᾰ̀ ἆθλᾰ tằ âthlă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | ἆθλον âthlon |
ᾱ̓́θλω ā́thlō |
ἆθλᾰ âthlă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ἄεθλον áethlon |
ἀέθλω aéthlō |
ἄεθλᾰ áethlă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | ἀέθλου / ἀεθλοῖο / ἀέθλοιο / ἀεθλόο / ἀέθλοο aéthlou / aethloîo / aéthloio / aethlóo / aéthloo |
ἀέθλοιν / ἀέθλοιῐν aéthloi(ĭ)n |
ἀέθλων aéthlōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | ἀέθλῳ aéthlōi |
ἀέθλοιν / ἀέθλοιῐν aéthloi(ĭ)n |
ἀέθλοισῐ / ἀέθλοισῐν / ἀέθλοις aéthloisĭ(n) / aéthlois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | ἄεθλον áethlon |
ἀέθλω aéthlō |
ἄεθλᾰ áethlă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | ἄεθλον áethlon |
ἀέθλω aéthlō |
ἄεθλᾰ áethlă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
Related terms
- ἆθλος (âthlos)
Noun
ἆθλον • (âthlon)
- accusative singular of ἆθλος (âthlos)
References
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄεθλος (> DIAL > ἆθλος, -ον)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 23
Further reading
- “ἆθλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ἆθλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- ἆθλον in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- ἆθλον in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- Clackson, James, Indo-European Word Formation: Proceedings from the International Conference, 2002
- Julius Pokorny (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, in 3 vols, Bern, München: Francke Verlag