ἀλέκτωρ

ἀλέκτωρ

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 28 August 2021

Etymology 1

From ᾰ̓λέξω (aléxō, “I ward off”) +‎ -τωρ (-tōr, “-er”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.lék.tɔːr/ → /aˈlek.tor/ → /aˈlek.tor/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lék.tɔːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.tor/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.tor/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.tor/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈlek.tor/

Noun

ᾰ̓λέκτωρ • (aléktōr) m (genitive ᾰ̓λέκτορος); third declension

1. cock, rooster
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1671:

     Κόμπασον θαρσῶν, ἀλέκτωρ ὥστε θηλείας πέλας.

     Kómpason tharsôn, aléktōr hṓste thēleías pélas.

     Brag in your bravery like a cock beside his hen.

2. husband, consort
   • Tz., ad Lyc. 1094

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓λέκτωρ; τοῦ ᾰ̓λέκτορος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓λέκτωρ ho aléktōr	τὼ ᾰ̓λέκτορε tṑ aléktore	οἱ ᾰ̓λέκτορες hoi aléktores
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓λέκτορος toû aléktoros	τοῖν ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν toîn alektóroin	τῶν ᾰ̓λεκτόρων tôn alektórōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓λέκτορῐ tôi aléktori	τοῖν ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν toîn alektóroin	τοῖς ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐ / ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐν toîs aléktorsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰ tòn aléktora	τὼ ᾰ̓λέκτορε tṑ aléktore	τοὺς ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰς toùs aléktoras
Vocative	ᾰ̓λέκτορ aléktor	ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore	ᾰ̓λέκτορες aléktores
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• ᾰ̓λέκτορον (aléktoron)
• ᾰ̓λεκτρῠών (alektruṓn)

Derived terms

• ἀλεκτόρειος (alektóreios)
• ἀλεκτοριδεύς (alektorideús)
• ἀλεκτόριον (alektórion)
• ἀλεκτορίς (alektorís)
• ἀλεκτορίσκος (alektorískos)
• ἀλέκτορον (aléktoron)
• ἀλέκτορος λόφος (aléktoros lóphos)
• ἀλεκτοροφωνία (alektorophōnía)
• ἀλεκτρυών (alektruṓn)
• γυπαλέκτωρ (gupaléktōr)

 

Descendants

• Coptic: ⲁⲗⲉⲕⲧⲱⲣ (alektōr)

References

• “ἀλέκτωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• 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
• G220 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

From ᾰ̓- (a-, “not”) +‎ λέχομαι (lékhomai, “I lay”) +‎ -τωρ (-tōr, “-er”). The meaning is supplied by λέκτρον (léktron, “marriage-bed”).

Adjective

ᾰ̓λέκτωρ • (aléktōr) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓́λεκτορ); third declension

1. (hapax) unwedded
   • 250 CE – 350 CE, Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 3.53:

     ἔφη ’γενέθλιός ἐστι τῆς ἀλέκτορος Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ ἄδικος ἡ τῆτες ἡμέρα.'

     éphē ’genéthliós esti tês aléktoros Athēnâs kaì ádikos hē têtes hēméra.'

     He said, "This is the birthday of the unwedded goddess Minerva, and this day is unjust."

Inflection

Third declension of ᾰ̓λέκτωρ; ᾰ̓́λεκτορ (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓λέκτωρ aléktōr	ᾰ̓́λεκτορ álektor		ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore	ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore		ᾰ̓λέκτορες aléktores	ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰ aléktora
Genitive		ᾰ̓λέκτορος aléktoros	ᾰ̓λέκτορος aléktoros		ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν alektóroin	ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν alektóroin		ᾰ̓λεκτόρων alektórōn	ᾰ̓λεκτόρων alektórōn
Dative		ᾰ̓λέκτορῐ aléktori	ᾰ̓λέκτορῐ aléktori		ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν alektóroin	ᾰ̓λεκτόροιν alektóroin		ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐ / ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐν aléktorsi(n)	ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐ / ᾰ̓λέκτορσῐν aléktorsi(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰ aléktora	ᾰ̓́λεκτορ álektor		ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore	ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore		ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰς aléktoras	ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰ aléktora
Vocative		ᾰ̓́λεκτορ álektor	ᾰ̓́λεκτορ álektor		ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore	ᾰ̓λέκτορε aléktore		ᾰ̓λέκτορες aléktores	ᾰ̓λέκτορᾰ aléktora
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓λεκτόρως alektórōs			—			—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• ᾰ̓́λεκτρος (álektros)

Further reading

• “ἀλέκτωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀλέκτωρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀλέκτωρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀλέκτωρ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
• “ἀλέκτωρ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G220 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • cock idem, page 141.