βασίλισσα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From βᾰσῐλεύς (băsĭleús, “king”) +‎ -ῐσσᾰ (-ĭssă, female suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ba.sí.lis.sa/ → /βaˈsi.lis.sa/ → /vaˈsi.li.sa/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ba.sí.lis.sa/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /baˈsi.lis.sa/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βaˈsi.lis.sa/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vaˈsi.lis.sa/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vaˈsi.li.sa/

Noun

βᾰσῐ́λῐσσᾰ • (băsĭ́lĭssă) f (genitive βᾰσῐλῐ́σσης); first declension

1. queen, a female monarch

   Synonym: άνασσα (ánassa)

2. (at Rome) empress

Declension

First declension of ἡ βᾰσῐ́λῐσσᾰ; τῆς βᾰσῐλῐ́σσης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ βᾰσῐ́λῐσσᾰ hē băsĭ́lĭssă	τὼ βᾰσῐλῐ́σσᾱ tṑ băsĭlĭ́ssā	αἱ βᾰσῐ́λῐσσαι hai băsĭ́lĭssai
Genitive	τῆς βᾰσῐλῐ́σσης tês băsĭlĭ́ssēs	τοῖν βᾰσῐλῐ́σσαιν toîn băsĭlĭ́ssain	τῶν βᾰσῐλῐσσῶν tôn băsĭlĭssôn
Dative	τῇ βᾰσῐλῐ́σσῃ têi băsĭlĭ́ssēi	τοῖν βᾰσῐλῐ́σσαιν toîn băsĭlĭ́ssain	ταῖς βᾰσῐλῐ́σσαις taîs băsĭlĭ́ssais
Accusative	τὴν βᾰσῐ́λῐσσᾰν tḕn băsĭ́lĭssăn	τὼ βᾰσῐλῐ́σσᾱ tṑ băsĭlĭ́ssā	τᾱ̀ς βᾰσῐλῐ́σσᾱς tā̀s băsĭlĭ́ssās
Vocative	βᾰσῐ́λῐσσᾰ băsĭ́lĭssă	βᾰσῐλῐ́σσᾱ băsĭlĭ́ssā	βᾰσῐ́λῐσσαι băsĭ́lĭssai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: βασίλισσα (vasílissa)

Further reading

• “βασίλισσα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• βασίλισσα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• βασίλισσα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βασίλισσα (basílissa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaˈsi.li.sa/
• Hyphenation: βα‧σί‧λισ‧σα

Noun

βασίλισσα • (vasílissa) f (plural βασίλισσες, masculine βασιλιάς)

1. queen (king's wife)

   Η Μαρία Αντουανέτα ήταν βασίλισσα της Γαλλίας.

   I María Antouanéta ítan vasílissa tis Gallías.

   Marie Antoinette was the queen of France.

2. queen (ruling female monarch)

   Η Ελισάβετ Β’ ήταν η βασίλισσα του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου.

   I Elisávet V’ ítan i vasílissa tou Inoménou Vasileíou.

   Elizabeth II was the queen of the United Kingdom.

3. queen (reproductive female animal in a hive, such as an ant, bee, termite or wasp)

   η βασίλισσα των μελισσών ― i vasílissa ton melissón ― the queen bee

4. (figuratively) queen (powerful female figure)

   Η κόρη του είναι βασίλισσα της ομορφιάς.

   I kóri tou eínai vasílissa tis omorfiás.

   His daughter is a queen of beauty.

5. (chess) queen

Declension

Declension of βασίλισσα

	singular	plural
nominative	βασίλισσα (vasílissa)	βασίλισσες (vasílisses)
genitive	βασίλισσας (vasílissas)	βασιλισσών (vasilissón)
accusative	βασίλισσα (vasílissa)	βασίλισσες (vasílisses)
vocative	βασίλισσα (vasílissa)	βασίλισσες (vasílisses)

See also

Chess pieces in Greek · πεσσοί (pessoí) (layout · text)
βασιλιάς (vasiliás)	βασίλισσα (vasílissa)	πύργος (pýrgos)	αξιωματικός (axiomatikós), τρελός (trelós)	ίππος (íppos)	στρατιώτης (stratiótis), πιόνι (pióni)