ἀταλός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Leumann derives this adjective from ἀταλάφρων (ataláphrōn, “tender-minded”), which is the negation of ταλάφρων (taláphrōn, “patient of mind”). Although it explains the compositional vowel α-, the whole analysis is too complicated. Derivation from ἄττα (átta, “father”) seems improbable too. Furnée compares ἀζαλαί (azalaí, “young and tender”) and concludes that this is a Pre-Greek word, which is quite probable.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ta.lós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/

Adjective

ἀτᾰλός • (atalós) m (feminine ἀτᾰλή, neuter ἀτᾰλόν); first/second declension

(of youthful persons) tender, delicate
(of elders) tremulous, shaking, trembling

Inflection

First and second declension of ἀτᾰλός; ἀτᾰλή; ἀτᾰλόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἀτᾰλός atalós	ἀτᾰλή atalḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atalón	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλοί ataloí	ἀτᾰλαί atalaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Genitive	ἀτᾰλοῦ ataloû	ἀτᾰλῆς atalês	ἀτᾰλοῦ ataloû	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atalaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn
Dative	ἀτᾰλῷ atalôi	ἀτᾰλῇ atalêi	ἀτᾰλῷ atalôi	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atalaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλοῖς ataloîs	ἀτᾰλαῖς atalaîs	ἀτᾰλοῖς ataloîs
Accusative	ἀτᾰλόν atalón	ἀτᾰλήν atalḗn	ἀτᾰλόν atalón	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλούς ataloús	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ς atalā́s	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Vocative	ἀτᾰλέ atalé	ἀτᾰλή atalḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atalón	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλοί ataloí	ἀτᾰλαί atalaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἀτᾰλῶς atalôs			ἀτᾰλώτερος atalṓteros			ἀτᾰλώτᾰτος atalṓtatos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀτάλλω (atállō)
ἀταλόψυχος (atalópsukhos)
ἀταλῶς (atalôs)

References

ἀταλός in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἀταλός in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
ἀταλός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀταλός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2020)
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN