οὐροβόρος
Ancient Greek
Etymology
A compound of οὐρά (ourá, “tail”) + -βόρος (-bóros, “-devouring”, “-swallowing”), which is derived from the verb βιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō, “to eat up”).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /oː.ro.bó.ros/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /u.roˈbo.ros/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /u.roˈβo.ros/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /u.roˈvo.ros/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /u.roˈvo.ros/
Adjective
οὐροβόρος • (ourobóros) m, f (neuter οὐροβόρον); second declension
- devouring its tail
Inflection
Second declension of οὐροβόρος; οὐροβόρον (Attic)
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | ||||||||
Nominative | οὐροβόρος ourobóros | οὐροβόρον ourobóron | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόροι ourobóroi | οὐροβόρᾰ ourobóra | ||||||||
Genitive | οὐροβόρου ourobórou | οὐροβόρου ourobórou | οὐροβόροιν ourobóroin | οὐροβόροιν ourobóroin | οὐροβόρων ourobórōn | οὐροβόρων ourobórōn | ||||||||
Dative | οὐροβόρῳ ourobórōi | οὐροβόρῳ ourobórōi | οὐροβόροιν ourobóroin | οὐροβόροιν ourobóroin | οὐροβόροις ourobórois | οὐροβόροις ourobórois | ||||||||
Accusative | οὐροβόρον ourobóron | οὐροβόρον ourobóron | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόρους ourobórous | οὐροβόρᾰ ourobóra | ||||||||
Vocative | οὐροβόρε ourobóre | οὐροβόρον ourobóron | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόρω ourobórō | οὐροβόροι ourobóroi | οὐροβόρᾰ ourobóra | ||||||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
οὐροβόρως ourobórōs | οὐροβορώτερος ouroborṓteros | οὐροβορώτᾰτος ouroborṓtatos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Descendants
- English: ouroboros
- Italian: uroboro
Further reading
- οὐροβόρος in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- οὐροβόρος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette