ἐλαχύς
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- ἔλαχος (élakhos)
Etymology
From Proto-Hellenic *eləkʰús, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰus (“lightweight”).
Cognates include Sanskrit लघु (laghu), Latin levis, Old Church Slavonic льгъкъ (lĭgŭkŭ), Old English lēoht (English light).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /e.la.kʰýs/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /e.laˈkʰys/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /e.laˈçys/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /e.laˈçys/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /e.laˈçis/
Adjective
ἐλᾰχῠ́ς • (elakhús) m (feminine ἐλᾰ́χειᾰ, neuter ἐλᾰχῠ́); first/third declension
- small, short, mean, little
- 7th-6th centuries BC, Homeric Hymn to Apollo 197:
- τῇσι μὲν οὔτ’ αἰσχρὴ μεταμέλπεται οὔτ᾽ ἐλάχεια, ἀλλὰ μάλα μεγάλη τε ἰδεῖν καὶ εἶδος ἀγητή
- têisi mèn oút’ aiskhrḕ metamélpetai oút᾽ elákheia, allà mála megálē te ideîn kaì eîdos agētḗ
- And among them sings one, not mean nor puny, but tall to look upon and enviable in mien.
- τῇσι μὲν οὔτ’ αἰσχρὴ μεταμέλπεται οὔτ᾽ ἐλάχεια, ἀλλὰ μάλα μεγάλη τε ἰδεῖν καὶ εἶδος ἀγητή
Inflection
First and third declension of ἐλᾰχῠ́ς; ἐλᾰ́χειᾰ; ἐλᾰχῠ́ (Attic)
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ς elakhús | ἐλᾰ́χειᾰ elákheia | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχεῖς elakheîs | ἐλᾰ́χειαι elákheiai | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Genitive | ἐλᾰχέος elakhéos | ἐλᾰχείᾱς elakheíās | ἐλᾰχέος elakhéos | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχείαιν elakheíain | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχέων elakhéōn | ἐλᾰχειῶν elakheiôn | ἐλᾰχέων elakhéōn | |||||
Dative | ἐλᾰχεῖ elakheî | ἐλᾰχείᾳ elakheíāi | ἐλᾰχεῖ elakheî | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχείαιν elakheíain | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχέσῐ / ἐλᾰχέσῐν elakhési(n) | ἐλᾰχείαις elakheíais | ἐλᾰχέσῐ / ἐλᾰχέσῐν elakhési(n) | |||||
Accusative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ν elakhún | ἐλᾰ́χειᾰν elákheian | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχεῖς elakheîs | ἐλᾰχείᾱς elakheíās | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Vocative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰ́χειᾰ elákheia | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχεῖς elakheîs | ἐλᾰ́χειαι elákheiai | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
ἐλᾰχέως elakhéōs | ἐλάσσων elássōn | ἐλᾰ́χιστος elákhistos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
First and third declension of ἐλᾰχῠ́ς; ἐλᾰ́χεᾰ; ἐλᾰχῠ́ (Ionic)
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ς elakhús | ἐλᾰ́χεᾰ elákhea | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχεῖς elakheîs | ἐλᾰ́χεαι elákheai | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Genitive | ἐλᾰχέος elakhéos | ἐλᾰχείης elakheíēs | ἐλᾰχέος elakhéos | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχείαιν elakheíain | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχέων elakhéōn | ἐλᾰχειέων / ἐλᾰχειῶν elakheiéōn / elakheiôn | ἐλᾰχέων elakhéōn | |||||
Dative | ἐλᾰχεῖ elakheî | ἐλᾰχείῃ elakheíēi | ἐλᾰχεῖ elakheî | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχείαιν elakheíain | ἐλᾰχέοιν elakhéoin | ἐλᾰχέσῐ / ἐλᾰχέσῐν elakhési(n) | ἐλᾰχείῃσῐ / ἐλᾰχείῃσῐν elakheíēisi(n) | ἐλᾰχέσῐ / ἐλᾰχέσῐν elakhési(n) | |||||
Accusative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ν elakhún | ἐλᾰ́χεᾰν elákhean | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχέᾰς elakhéas | ἐλᾰχείᾱς elakheíās | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Vocative | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰ́χεᾰ elákhea | ἐλᾰχῠ́ elakhú | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχείᾱ elakheíā | ἐλᾰχέε elakhée | ἐλᾰχεῖς elakheîs | ἐλᾰ́χεαι elákheai | ἐλᾰχέᾰ elakhéa | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
ἐλᾰχέως elakhéōs | ἐλάσσων elássōn | ἐλᾰ́χιστος elákhistos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
This is one of the two adjectives in -ύς, -εῖα, -ύ, along with λιγύς (ligús), that have a recessive accent in the feminine. See also θῆλυς (thêlus), ἥμισυς (hḗmisus).
Synonyms
- βαιός (baiós)
- βραχύς (brakhús)
- ἠβαιός (ēbaiós)
- μικρός (mikrós)
- ὀλίγος (olígos)
- παῦρος (paûros)
- τυτθός (tutthós)
Derived terms
- ἐλαχύνωτος (elakhúnōtos)
- ἐλαχυπτέρυξ (elakhuptérux)
References
- “ἐλαχύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ἐλαχύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “ἐλαχύς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- ἐλαχύς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- ἐλαχύς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)