Κύκλωψ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *Kúklōps, from Proto-Indo-European *Pḱúklōps (“cattle thief”). Superficially decomposes as κύκλος (kúklos, “wheel, circle”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye”). This is thought to be a folk etymology, with the true etymology in Proto-Indo-European *pḱú-klōps (“cattle thief”) becoming obscured after the loss of the word *péḱu. (See κλώψ (klṓps) for the second component.) Cattle thieves are pervasive in Indo-European mythology; before the folk etymology, the Cyclops would have been a cattle thief of no unusual facial disposition.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ký.klɔːps/ → /ˈcy.klops/ → /ˈci.klops/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ký.klɔːps/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈky.klops/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈcy.klops/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈcy.klops/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈci.klops/

Noun

Κύκλωψ • (Kúklōps) m (genitive Κύκλωπος or Κύκλοπος); third declension

1. a cyclops

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ; τοῦ Κῠ́κλωπος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ ho Kŭ́klōps	τὼ Κῠ́κλωπε tṑ Kŭ́klōpe	οἱ Κῠ́κλωπες hoi Kŭ́klōpes
Genitive	τοῦ Κῠ́κλωπος toû Kŭ́klōpos	τοῖν Κῠκλώποιν toîn Kŭklṓpoin	τῶν Κῠκλώπων tôn Kŭklṓpōn
Dative	τῷ Κῠ́κλωπῐ tôi Kŭ́klōpĭ	τοῖν Κῠκλώποιν toîn Kŭklṓpoin	τοῖς Κῠ́κλωψῐ / Κῠ́κλωψῐν toîs Kŭ́klōpsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Κῠ́κλωπᾰ tòn Kŭ́klōpă	τὼ Κῠ́κλωπε tṑ Kŭ́klōpe	τοὺς Κῠ́κλωπᾰς toùs Kŭ́klōpăs
Vocative	Κῠ́κλωψ Kŭ́klōps	Κῠ́κλωπε Kŭ́klōpe	Κῠ́κλωπες Kŭ́klōpes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ; τοῦ Κῠ́κλοπος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Κῠ́κλωψ ho Kŭ́klōps	τὼ Κῠ́κλοπε tṑ Kŭ́klope	οἱ Κῠ́κλοπες hoi Kŭ́klopes
Genitive	τοῦ Κῠ́κλοπος toû Kŭ́klopos	τοῖν Κῠκλόποιν toîn Kŭklópoin	τῶν Κῠκλόπων tôn Kŭklópōn
Dative	τῷ Κῠ́κλοπῐ tôi Kŭ́klopĭ	τοῖν Κῠκλόποιν toîn Kŭklópoin	τοῖς Κῠ́κλοψῐ / Κῠ́κλοψῐν toîs Kŭ́klopsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν Κῠ́κλοπᾰ tòn Kŭ́klopă	τὼ Κῠ́κλοπε tṑ Kŭ́klope	τοὺς Κῠ́κλοπᾰς toùs Kŭ́klopăs
Vocative	Κῠ́κλωψ Kŭ́klōps	Κῠ́κλοπε Kŭ́klope	Κῠ́κλοπες Kŭ́klopes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Κυκλωπεία (Kuklōpeía)
• Κυκλώπειος (Kuklṓpeios)
• Κυκλωπία (Kuklōpía)
• Κυκλωπικός (Kuklōpikós)
• Κυκλωπικῶς (Kuklōpikôs)
• Κυκλώπιον (Kuklṓpion)
• Κυκλώπιος (Kuklṓpios)
• Κυκλωπίς (Kuklōpís)

Descendants

• → English: cyclops
• Greek: Κύκλωψ (Kýklops), Κύκλωπας (Kýklopas)
• → Latin: cyclōps

References

• “Κύκλωψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Κύκλωψ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,007