θάλασσα
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ (thálassa) – Laconian
- θᾰ́λᾰθθᾰ (thálaththa) – Cretan
- θᾰ́λᾰττᾰ (thálatta) – Attic, later
Etymology
Possibly related to ἅλς (háls, “salt”), cf. Latin sāl (“salt”), salum (“sea”), Salacia (“sea goddess”). However, the element "-σσ-", as well as the local geographic meaning, points to a Pre-Greek origin; compare the possible cognate Luwian 𒀀𒆷𒀸 𒊭𒄠 (alaššamm(i)). According to Beekes, a Pre-Greek substrate borrowing tentatively reconstructed as *talakya[1].
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /tʰá.las.sa/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈtʰa.las.sa/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈθa.las.sa/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈθa.las.sa/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈθa.la.sa/
Noun
θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ • (thálassa) f (genitive θᾰλᾰ́σσης); first declension
- sea
- Synonyms: πέλαγος (pélagos), πόντος (póntos)
- the Mediterranean Sea
- channel
- salt water
Inflection
First declension of θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ; θᾰλᾰ́σσης (Epic)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ thálassa | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ thalássā | θᾰ́λᾰσσαι thálassai | ||||||||||
| Genitive | θᾰλᾰ́σσης thalássēs | θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν / θᾰλᾰ́σσαιῐν / θᾰλᾰ́σσῃῐν thalássai(i)n / thalássēiin | θᾰλᾰσσᾱ́ων / θᾰλᾰσσέ͜ων / θᾰλᾰσσῶν thalassā́ōn / thalassé͜ōn / thalassôn | ||||||||||
| Dative | θᾰλᾰ́σσῃ thalássēi | θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν / θᾰλᾰ́σσαιῐν / θᾰλᾰ́σσῃῐν thalássai(i)n / thalássēiin | θᾰλᾰ́σσῃσῐ / θᾰλᾰ́σσῃσῐν / θᾰλᾰ́σσῃς / θᾰλᾰ́σσαις thalássēisi(n) / thalássēis / thalássais | ||||||||||
| Accusative | θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰν thálassan | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ thalássā | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱς thalássās | ||||||||||
| Vocative | θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ thálassa | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ thalássā | θᾰ́λᾰσσαι thálassai | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
First declension of ἡ θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ; τῆς θᾰλᾰ́σσης (Ionic)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ἡ θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ hē thálassa | τὼ θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ tṑ thalássā | αἱ θᾰ́λᾰσσαι hai thálassai | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τῆς θᾰλᾰ́σσης tês thalássēs | τοῖν θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν toîn thalássain | τῶν θᾰλᾰσσέων / θᾰλᾰσσῶν tôn thalasséōn / thalassôn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῇ θᾰλᾰ́σσῃ têi thalássēi | τοῖν θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν toîn thalássain | τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν θᾰλᾰ́σσῃσῐ / θᾰλᾰ́σσῃσῐν têisi(n) thalássēisi(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὴν θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰν tḕn thálassan | τὼ θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ tṑ thalássā | τᾱ̀ς θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱς tā̀s thalássās | ||||||||||
| Vocative | θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ thálassa | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ thalássā | θᾰ́λᾰσσαι thálassai | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
First declension of ᾱ̔ θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ; τᾶς θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱς (Laconian)
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ᾱ̔ θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ hā thálassa | τὼ θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ tṑ thalássā | ταὶ θᾰ́λᾰσσαι taì thálassai | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τᾶς θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱς tâs thalássās | τοῖν θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν toîn thalássain | τᾶν θᾰλᾰσσᾶν tân thalassân | ||||||||||
| Dative | τᾷ θᾰλᾰ́σσᾳ tâi thalássāi | τοῖν θᾰλᾰ́σσαιν toîn thalássain | ταῖς θᾰλᾰ́σσαις taîs thalássais | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τᾱ̀ν θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰν tā̀n thálassan | τὼ θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ tṑ thalássā | τᾱ̀ς θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱς tā̀s thalássās | ||||||||||
| Vocative | θᾰ́λᾰσσᾰ thálassa | θᾰλᾰ́σσᾱ thalássā | θᾰ́λᾰσσαι thálassai | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- Ἐρυθρὰ θάλασσα (Eruthrà thálassa)
- θαλασσαίγλη (thalassaíglē)
- θαλασσαῖος (thalassaîos)
- θαλασσερός (thalasserós)
- θαλασσεύς (thalasseús)
- θαλασσεύω (thalasseúō)
- θαλασσία (thalassía)
- θαλασσίγονος (thalassígonos)
- θαλασσίδιος (thalassídios)
- θαλασσίζω (thalassízō)
- θαλάσσιος (thalássios)
- θαλασσίτης (thalassítēs)
- θαλασσοβαφέω (thalassobaphéō)
- θαλασσοβαφής (thalassobaphḗs)
- θαλασσοβίωτος (thalassobíōtos)
- θαλασσοβραχής (thalassobrakhḗs)
- θαλασσογενής (thalassogenḗs)
- θαλασσογράφος (thalassográphos)
- θαλασσοδομέτρης (thalassodométrēs)
- θαλασσοειδής (thalassoeidḗs)
- θαλασσόκλυστος (thalassóklustos)
- θαλασσοκοπέω (thalassokopéō)
- θαλασσοκράμβη (thalassokrámbē)
- θαλασσοκρατέω (thalassokratéō)
- θαλασσοκρατία (thalassokratía)
- θαλασσοκράτωρ (thalassokrátōr)
- θαλασσομαχέω (thalassomakhéō)
- θαλασσομάχος (thalassomákhos)
- θαλασσομέδων (thalassomédōn)
- θαλασσόμελι (thalassómeli)
- θαλασσομιγής (thalassomigḗs)
- θαλασσόμοθος (thalassómothos)
- θαλασσονόμος (thalassonómos)
- θαλασσόπαις (thalassópais)
- θαλασσόπλαγκτος (thalassóplanktos)
- θαλασσόπληκτος (thalassóplēktos)
- θαλασσόπλοος (thalassóploos)
- θαλασσοποιός (thalassopoiós)
- θαλασσοπορέω (thalassoporéō)
- θαλασσοπόρος (thalassopóros)
- θαλασσοπόρφυρος (thalassopórphuros)
- θαλασσόπρασον (thalassóprason)
- θαλασσόσημος (thalassósēmos)
- θαλασσοτείχιστος (thalassoteíkhistos)
- θαλασσότοκος (thalassótokos)
- θαλασσουργέω (thalassourgéō)
- θαλασσουργία (thalassourgía)
- θαλασσουργός (thalassourgós)
- θαλασσόω (thalassóō)
- θαλασσώδης (thalassṓdēs)
- θαλάσσωσις (thalássōsis)
- παραθαλάσσιος (parathalássios)
Descendants
- Albanian: tallaz
- → Coptic: ⲑⲁⲗⲁⲥⲥⲁ (thalassa), ϩⲁⲗⲁⲥⲥⲁ (halassa)
- → English: thalasso-, Thalassa
- Greek:
- Modern Greek: θάλασσα (thálassa)
- Mariupol Greek: тъа́ласа (θálasa)
- Tsakonian: θάσσα (thássa)
- → Latin: Thalassa
- → Ottoman Turkish: طالاز (talaz), طلاس (talas), تالاز (talaz)
- → Romanian: talaz
- → Serbo-Croatian: tȁlās / та̏ла̄с
References
- https://www.robertbeekes.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/b124.pdf
Further reading
- “θάλασσα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “θάλασσα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “θάλασσα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- θάλασσα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- θάλασσα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- “θάλασσα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G2281 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- θάλασσα in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- atlantic (sea) idem, page 49.
- brine idem, page 99.
- deep idem, page 203.
- sea idem, page 744.
- water idem, page 967.
Greek
Etymology
From Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa). Cognate with Tsakonian θάσσα (thássa, “sea”), Mariupol Greek тъа́ласа (θálasa).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈθalasa]
Noun
θάλασσα • (thálassa) f (plural θάλασσες)
- sea
- Βαλτική Θάλασσα, Μεσόγειος Θάλασσα ― Valtikí Thálassa, Mesógeios Thálassa ― Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea
- sea (all the seas and oceans)
- Πήγε στη θάλασσα.
- Píge sti thálassa.
- He went to sea.
- storm
- πολύ θάλασσα ― polý thálassa ― heavy seas, stormy weather
Usage notes
- ωκεανός m (okeanós, “ocean”) (e.g. Atlantic, Pacific)
- θάλασσα f (thálassa, “larger sea”) (e.g. Mediterranean, Baltic, Caribbean)
- πέλαγος m (pélagos, “smaller sea”) (e.g. Adriatic, Aegean, Ionian)
Declension
declension of θάλασσα
| case \\ number | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | θάλασσα • | θάλασσες • |
| genitive | θάλασσας • | θαλασσών • |
| accusative | θάλασσα • | θάλασσες • |
| vocative | θάλασσα • | θάλασσες • |
Related terms
- ακροθαλασσιά f (akrothalassiá, “seashore”)
- θαλάσσιος (thalássios, “marine, sea”)
- θαλασσής (thalassís, “light blue”)
- θαλασσί n (thalassí, “light blue”)
- θαλασσίτσα n (thalassítsa)
- θαλασσινά n pl (thalassiná, “seafood”)
- θαλασσινή f (thalassiní, “seawoman, seafarer, dweller by the sea”)
- θαλασσινός (thalassinós, “marine, in the sea”)
- θαλασσινός m (thalassinós, “seaman, seafarer, dweller by the sea”)
- θαλασσογραφία f (thalassografía, “seascape”)
- θαλασσοδάνειο n (thalassodáneio, “sea loan, risky loan, bottomry”)
- θαλασσοδέρνομαι (thalassodérnomai)
- θαλασσοδέρνω (thalassodérno)
- θαλασσοδαρμένος (thalassodarménos, “weather-beaten, beaten by the sea”)
- θαλασσοκράτειρα f (thalassokráteira, “sea power”)
- θαλασσοκράτορας m (thalassokrátoras, “sea power”)
- θαλασσοκρατία f (thalassokratía, “sea mastery, naval supremacy”)
- θαλασσοκρατορία f (thalassokratoría, “sea mastery, naval supremacy”)
- θαλασσοπνίγομαι (thalassopnígomai, “be half-drowned, be in difficulties at sea”)
- θαλασσοπούλι n (thalassopoúli, “seabird”)
- θαλασσοπόρος m or f (thalassopóros, “seavoyager, navigator, marine explorer”)
- θαλασσοταραχή f (thalassotarachí, “rough sea”)
- θαλασσόβιος (thalassóvios, “frequenting the sea”)
- θαλασσόλυκος m (thalassólykos, “sea dog, old salt”)
- θαλασσόλυκος n (thalassólykos)
- θαλασσόνερο n (thalassónero, “seawater”)
- θαλασσόχορτο n (thalassóchorto, “samphire”)
- θαλασσώνω (thalassóno, “to mess things up”)
- λαοθάλασσα f (laothálassa)
- λιμνοθάλασσα f (limnothálassa)
Further reading
- θάλασσα - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.
θάλασσα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia el