ἰσχύς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Disputed. Dialectal variants point to Proto-Hellenic *wiskʰū́s, but since the Mycenaean Greek cognate 𐀂𐀱𐀓𐀺𐀈𐀵 (i-su-ku-wo-do-to) lacks the initial /w/, it may have arisen by analogy with *ϝῑ́ς (*wī́s, “power”) (> ἴς (ís)). Early hypotheses assume a relation to Sanskrit विषहते (viṣahate, “to hold fast, endure, withstand, conquer”), from Proto-Indo-European *wi- + *seǵʰ- (“to hold, have power”) (see ἔχω (ékhō)), or alternatively from the same root via a reduplicated u-stem *si-sǵʰ-ús (cf. ἴσχω (ískhō)). Unconvinced by these etymologies, Beekes suggests Pre-Greek substrate origin.

According to Gamkrelidze & Ivanov, a Kartvelian borrowing, compare Proto-Georgian-Zan *s₁xu- (“fat, stout”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /is.kʰy̌ːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /isˈkʰys/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /isˈçys/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /isˈçys/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /isˈçis/

Noun

ῐ̓σχῡ́ς • (iskhū́s) f (genitive ῐ̓σχῠ́ος); third declension

strength, power, might

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ῐ̓σχῡ́ς; τῆς ῐ̓σχῠ́ος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ῐ̓σχῡ́ς hē iskhū́s	τὼ ῐ̓σχῠ́ε tṑ iskhúe	αἱ ῐ̓σχῠ́ες hai iskhúes
Genitive	τῆς ῐ̓σχῠ́ος tês iskhúos	τοῖν ῐ̓σχῠ́οιν toîn iskhúoin	τῶν ῐ̓σχῠ́ων tôn iskhúōn
Dative	τῇ ῐ̓σχῠ́ῐ̈ têi iskhúï	τοῖν ῐ̓σχῠ́οιν toîn iskhúoin	ταῖς ῐ̓σχῠ́σῐ / ῐ̓σχῠ́σῐν taîs iskhúsi(n)
Accusative	τὴν ῐ̓σχῡ́ν tḕn iskhū́n	τὼ ῐ̓σχῠ́ε tṑ iskhúe	τᾱ̀ς ῐ̓σχῦς / ῐ̓σχῠ́ᾰς tā̀s iskhûs / iskhúas
Vocative	ῐ̓σχῡ́ iskhū́	ῐ̓σχῠ́ε iskhúe	ῐ̓σχῠ́ες iskhúes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: ισχύς (ischýs)