βουβάλιον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• βουβάλιος (boubálios)

Etymology

From βούβαλος (boúbalos, “buffalo”) +‎ -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /buː.bá.li.on/ → /βuˈβa.li.on/ → /vuˈva.li.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /buː.bá.li.on/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /buˈba.li.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βuˈβa.li.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vuˈva.li.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vuˈva.li.on/

Noun

βουβᾰ́λῐον • (boubắlĭon) n (genitive βουβᾰλῐ́ου); second declension

1. squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium)

   Synonyms: σίκυς άγριος m (síkus ágrios), ἐλατήριον n (elatḗrion), νότιον n (nótion), φέρομβρον n (phérombron), βάλλις f (bállis), σκόπιον n (skópion), γρῦνον n (grûnon), πευκέδανον n (peukédanon), σκόρπιον n (skórpion)

2. (in the plural) kind of bracelet

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ βουβᾰ́λῐον; τοῦ βουβᾰλῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ βουβᾰ́λῐον tò boubắlĭon	τὼ βουβᾰλῐ́ω tṑ boubălĭ́ō	τᾰ̀ βουβᾰ́λῐᾰ tằ boubắlĭă
Genitive	τοῦ βουβᾰλῐ́ου toû boubălĭ́ou	τοῖν βουβᾰλῐ́οιν toîn boubălĭ́oin	τῶν βουβᾰλῐ́ων tôn boubălĭ́ōn
Dative	τῷ βουβᾰλῐ́ῳ tôi boubălĭ́ōi	τοῖν βουβᾰλῐ́οιν toîn boubălĭ́oin	τοῖς βουβᾰλῐ́οις toîs boubălĭ́ois
Accusative	τὸ βουβᾰ́λῐον tò boubắlĭon	τὼ βουβᾰλῐ́ω tṑ boubălĭ́ō	τᾰ̀ βουβᾰ́λῐᾰ tằ boubắlĭă
Vocative	βουβᾰ́λῐον boubắlĭon	βουβᾰλῐ́ω boubălĭ́ō	βουβᾰ́λῐᾰ boubắlĭă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

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