ἕρση

ἕρση

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἐέρσα (eérsa) – Doric
• ἐέρση (eérsē)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁wérseh₂ (“humidity”). Close to Sanskrit वर्षा (varṣā, “rain”), Albanian vesë (“dew”), Armenian գայր (gayr, “dirt, mud”), and Old Persian باران (bārān, “rain”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hér.sɛː/ → /ˈer.si/ → /ˈer.si/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hér.sɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)er.se̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.si/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈer.si/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈer.si/

Noun

ἕρση • (hérsē) f (genitive ἕρσης); first declension

1. dew

   Synonym: δρόσος (drósos)

2. (in the plural) raindrops
3. young and tender animal
4. kid born in winter

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἕρση; τῆς ἕρσης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἕρση hē hérsē	τὼ ἕρσᾱ tṑ hérsā	αἱ ἕρσαι hai hérsai
Genitive	τῆς ἕρσης tês hérsēs	τοῖν ἕρσαιν toîn hérsain	τῶν ἑρσῶν tôn hersôn
Dative	τῇ ἕρσῃ têi hérsēi	τοῖν ἕρσαιν toîn hérsain	ταῖς ἕρσαις taîs hérsais
Accusative	τὴν ἕρσην tḕn hérsēn	τὼ ἕρσᾱ tṑ hérsā	τᾱ̀ς ἕρσᾱς tā̀s hérsās
Vocative	ἕρση hérsē	ἕρσᾱ hérsā	ἕρσαι hérsai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἑρσαῖος (hersaîos)
• ἑρσήεις (hersḗeis)
• ἑρσηφορία (hersēphoría)
• ἑρσοφόρος (hersophóros)
• ἕρσω (hérsō)
• ἑρσώδης (hersṓdēs)

 

Further reading

• “ἕρση”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἕρση in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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