-ης
See also: ης, ἧς, and ᾖς
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *-ēs, from masculine *-s over *-os ~ -es- neuter substantive nouns. Afterwards used freely.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ɛːs/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /e̝s/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /is/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /is/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /is/
Suffix
-ης • (-ēs) m or f (neuter -ες); third declension
- Forms third-declension adjectives with stems in -εσ- (-es-); very common in compounds.
- γένος (génos, “offspring, kind”) + -ης (-ēs) → -γενής (-genḗs, “genes”)
- εἶδος (eîdos, “form, appearance”) + -ης (-ēs) → -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-eides”)
- κλέος (kléos, “fame, glory”) + -ης (-ēs) → -κλεής (-kleḗs, “-klees”) → -κλής (-klḗs)
- κρᾰ́τος (krátos, “might”) + -ης (-ēs) → -κρᾰτής (-kratḗs, “-crates”)
- ἀ- (a-) + ληθ- (lēth-) + -ης (-ēs) → ᾰ̓ληθής (alēthḗs)
- μένος (ménos, “might”) + -ης (-ēs) → -μενής (-menḗs, “-menes”)
- πλῆθος (plêthos, “multitude”) + -ης (-ēs) → -πληθής (-plēthḗs, “-plethes”)
- σθένος (sthénos, “strength”) + -ης (-ēs) → -σθενής (-sthenḗs, “-sthenes”)
- φᾰ́ος (pháos, “light”) + -ης (-ēs) → -φαής (-phaḗs, “-phaes”)
Declension
Third declension of -ης; -ες (uncontracted, Epic)
| Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case/Gender | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | ||||||||
| Nominative | -ης -ēs | -ες -es | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εις / -εες -eis / -ees | -εᾰ -ea | ||||||||
| Genitive | -εος / -ευς -eos / -eus | -εος / -ευς -eos / -eus | -οιν -oin | -οιν -oin | -έων -éōn | -έων -éōn | ||||||||
| Dative | -ει / -εῐ̈ -ei / -eï | -ει / -εῐ̈ -ei / -eï | -οιν -oin | -οιν -oin | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | ||||||||
| Accusative | -εᾰ -ea | -ες -es | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εᾰς -eas | -εᾰ -ea | ||||||||
| Vocative | -ες -es | -ες -es | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εις / -εες -eis / -ees | -εᾰ -ea | ||||||||
| Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
| -έως -éōs | -έστερος -ésteros | -έστᾰτος -éstatos | ||||||||||||
| Notes: |
| |||||||||||||
Third declension of -ης; -ες (contracted, Attic)
| Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case/Gender | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | ||||||||
| Nominative | -ης -ēs | -ες -es | -ει -ei | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | -η -ē | ||||||||
| Genitive | -ους -ous | -ους -ous | -οιν -oin | -οιν -oin | -ων -ōn | -ων -ōn | ||||||||
| Dative | -ει -ei | -ει -ei | -οιν -oin | -οιν -oin | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | ||||||||
| Accusative | -η -ē | -ες -es | -ει -ei | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | -η -ē | ||||||||
| Vocative | -ες -es | -ες -es | -ει -ei | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | -η -ē | ||||||||
| Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
| -ως -ōs | -έστερος -ésteros | -έστᾰτος -éstatos | ||||||||||||
| Notes: |
| |||||||||||||
Suffix
-ης • (-ēs) m (genitive -ους or -εος); third declension
- Forms third-declension proper nouns.
- κλέος (kléos, “fame, glory”) + -ης (-ēs) → -κλέης (-kléēs, “-klees”) → -κλῆς (-klês)
- κρᾰ́τος (krátos, “might”) + -ης (-ēs) → Κρᾰ́της (Krátēs), -κρᾰ́της (-krátēs)
- μένος (ménos, “might”) + -ης (-ēs) → -μένης (-ménēs, “-menes”)
- σθένος (sthénos, “strength”) + -ης (-ēs) → -σθένης (-sthénēs, “-sthenes”)
Declension
Third declension of -ης; -εος (uncontracted, Epic)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -ης -ēs | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εις / -εες -eis / -ees | ||||||||||
| Genitive | -εος / -ευς -eos / -eus | -οιν -oin | -έων -éōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | -ει / -εῐ̈ -ei / -eï | -οιν -oin | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | -εᾰ -ea | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εᾰς -eas | ||||||||||
| Vocative | -ες -es | -ει / -εε -ei / -ee | -εις / -εες -eis / -ees | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Third declension of -ης; -ους (contracted, Attic)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -ης -ēs | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | ||||||||||
| Genitive | -ους -ous | -οιν -oin | -ων -ōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | -ει -ei | -οιν -oin | -εσῐ / -εσῐν -esi(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | -η -ē | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | ||||||||||
| Vocative | -ες -es | -ει -ei | -εις -eis | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ης
Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ής
References
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
- Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920), “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 858.5
Greek
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /is/
Suffix
-ης • (-is) (ending of masculine nouns)
- ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns, deriving from ancient 1st declension
- in -ης, -η, plural -ες, -ών, e.g. ναύτης (náftis, “sailor”) < ναύτης
- in -ής, -ή, plural -ές, -ών, e.g. μαθητής (mathitís, “student”) < μαθητής
- ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient 3rd declension
- in -ης, -η, plural -εις, -εων e.g. λάτρης (látris, “worshipper”) < λάτρις (“servant -of god”), μάντης (mántis, “seer”) < μάντις, πρύτανης (prýtanis, “rector”) < πρύτανις (“ruler”)
- ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient -ιος, -ειος
- in -ης, plural -ηδες e.g. κύρης (kýris, “master”) < κύριος, Βασίλης (Vasílis, “Basel”) < Βασίλειος
- in -ής, plural -ήδες (rare) e.g. πεταλωτής (petalotís, “farrier”) < πεταλώνω from Hellenistic πεταλῶ < ancient πέταλον
- ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns borrowed from Turkish -cı.
- in -τζής plural -τζήδες e.g. καφετζής (kafetzís, “café owner or waiter”) < Turkish kahveci
Suffix
-ης • (-is) (ending of adjectives)
- ending of formal adjectives in -ης, -ης, -ες or -ής, -ής, -ές deriving from the corresponding ancient 3rd declension
- e.g. πλήρης (plíris, “full”) < πλήρης, αήθης (aḯthis, “immoral”) < ἀήθης
- ending of adjectives in -ης, -α, -ικο deriving from Medieval Greek
- e.g. ζηλιάρης (ziliáris, “jealous”)
- ending of adjectives in -άρης (-áris) plural -άρηδες borrowed from Latin -ārius.
- e.g. ταβερνιάρης (taverniáris, “taverna owner”)
- ending of adjectives in -ής, -ιά, -ί and indeclinable -ί, borrowed from Turkish -i (-ι, -u, -ü) mainly for names of colours
- e.g. καφετής (kafetís, “brownish”)
Suffix
-ης • (-is) f (inflectional feminine form)
- genitive singular ending of feminine nouns and adjectives ending in -η deriving from ancient genitive -ης or -ῆς
- e.g. της φίλης f (fílis, “friend (female)”) < τῆς φίλης
- e.g. της μουσικής f (mousikís, “music”) < τῆς μουσικῆς
Suffix
-ης • (-is) (ending of adverbs)
- adverbs in -ής deriving from genitive feminine ending, Hellenistic or Medieval -ῆς.
- e.g. επικεφαλής (epikefalís, “in charge”), καταγής (katagís, “down on the ground”)
Suffix
-ης • (-is) (obsolete inflectional verb ending)
- ending of 2nd person, singular, subjunctive used until the 1960s, deriving from its ancient -ῃς (-ēis) equivalent
- να λύνεις (na lýneis, “to untie, solve”), or λύεις < να λύνης < ἵνα λύῃς
Usage notes
The dated subjunctive endings -ης2nd singular, -η3rd singular, -ωμεν1st plural may be found in grammar books for Modern Greek published before 1976, when they were reedited to the identically-pronounced indicative endings -εις, -ει, -ουμε/-ομε as Demotic Greek became the official language of education in Greece.
Derived terms
Greek terms suffixed with -ης
Greek terms suffixed with -ής
Further reading
- "-ης" - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.