ἰσχύς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Disputed. Dialectal variants point to Proto-Hellenic *wiskʰū́s, but since the Mycenaean Greek cognate 𐀂𐀱𐀓𐀺𐀈𐀵 (i-su-ku-wo-do-to) lacks the initial /w/, it may have arisen by analogy with *ϝῑ́ς (*wī́s, “power”) (> ἴς (ís)). Early hypotheses assume a relation to Sanskrit विषहते (viṣahate, “to hold fast, endure, withstand, conquer”), from Proto-Indo-European *wi- + *seǵʰ- (“to hold, have power”) (see ἔχω (ékhō)), or alternatively from the same root via a reduplicated u-stem *si-sǵʰ-ús (cf. ἴσχω (ískhō)). Unconvinced by these etymologies, Beekes suggests Pre-Greek substrate origin.

According to Gamkrelidze & Ivanov, a Kartvelian borrowing, compare Proto-Georgian-Zan *s₁xu- (“fat, stout”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /is.kʰy̌ːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /isˈkʰys/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /isˈçys/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /isˈçys/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /isˈçis/

Noun

ῐ̓σχῡ́ς • (ĭskhū́s) f (genitive ῐ̓σχῠ́ος); third declension

strength, power, might

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ῐ̓σχῡ́ς; τῆς ῐ̓σχῠ́ος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ῐ̓σχῡ́ς hē ĭskhū́s	τὼ ῐ̓σχῠ́ε tṑ ĭskhŭ́e	αἱ ῐ̓σχῠ́ες hai ĭskhŭ́es
Genitive	τῆς ῐ̓σχῠ́ος tês ĭskhŭ́os	τοῖν ῐ̓σχῠ́οιν toîn ĭskhŭ́oin	τῶν ῐ̓σχῠ́ων tôn ĭskhŭ́ōn
Dative	τῇ ῐ̓σχῠ́ῐ̈ tēî ĭskhŭ́ĭ̈	τοῖν ῐ̓σχῠ́οιν toîn ĭskhŭ́oin	ταῖς ῐ̓σχῠ́σῐ / ῐ̓σχῠ́σῐν taîs ĭskhŭ́sĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ῐ̓σχῡ́ν tḕn ĭskhū́n	τὼ ῐ̓σχῠ́ε tṑ ĭskhŭ́e	τᾱ̀ς ῐ̓σχῦς / ῐ̓σχῠ́ᾰς tā̀s ĭskhûs / ĭskhŭ́ăs
Vocative	ῐ̓σχῡ́ ĭskhū́	ῐ̓σχῠ́ε ĭskhŭ́e	ῐ̓σχῠ́ες ĭskhŭ́es
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: ισχύς (ischýs)