βαλαύστιον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

βαλώστιον (balṓstion)

Etymology

Put by Beekes as acquired via Pre-Greek, because of the αυ/ω variation,^[1] together with βάλαρις (bálaris, an unclear plant), βαλλωτή (ballōtḗ, “black horehound”), βάλλις (bállis, “a plant with wonderful medicinal properties”).

Likely also related to Imperial Aramaic 𐡁𐡀𐡋𐡀𐡈 (bʾlʾṭ, “pomegranate shoot”), Classical Syriac ܒܠܳܨܳܐ (blāṣā, “pomegranate shoot”) and a Semitic borrowing maybe. However an explanation of the words remains difficult; see Arabic رُمَّان (rummān) for another difficult pomegranate term. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /baˈlaʍs.ti.on/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βaˈlaɸs.ti.on/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vaˈlafs.ti.on/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vaˈlafs.ti.on/

Noun

βαλαύστιον • (balaústion) n (genitive βαλαυστίου); second declension

flower of the wild pomegranate
Synonym: κύτινος (kútinos)

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ βαλαύστιον; τοῦ βαλαυστίου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ βαλαύστιον tò balaústion	τὼ βαλαυστίω tṑ balaustíō	τᾰ̀ βαλαύστιᾰ tằ balaústiă
Genitive	τοῦ βαλαυστίου toû balaustíou	τοῖν βαλαυστίοιν toîn balaustíoin	τῶν βαλαυστίων tôn balaustíōn
Dative	τῷ βαλαυστίῳ tôi balaustíōi	τοῖν βαλαυστίοιν toîn balaustíoin	τοῖς βαλαυστίοις toîs balaustíois
Accusative	τὸ βαλαύστιον tò balaústion	τὼ βαλαυστίω tṑ balaustíō	τᾰ̀ βαλαύστιᾰ tằ balaústiă
Vocative	βαλαύστιον balaústion	βαλαυστίω balaustíō	βαλαύστιᾰ balaústiă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

βαλαυστιουργός (balaustiourgós)
βαλαύστρινος (balaústrinos)

Descendants

Latin: balaustium
- → Italian: balaustro

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “βαλαύστιον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 195-6