γρῖφος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• γρῖπος (grîpos)

Etymology

Like γρῖπος (grîpos, “creel, fishing basket”), from Pre-Greek, given the variation π/φ.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡrîː.pʰos/ → /ˈɣri.ɸos/ → /ˈɣri.fos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡrîː.pʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡri.pʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣri.ɸos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣri.fos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈɣri.fos/

Noun

γρῖφος • (grîphos) m (genitive γρῑ́φου); second declension

1. creel, trap for fish, fishing basket
   • Oppian, Halieutica 3.80:

     τῶν τὰ μὲν ἀμφίβληστρα, τὰ δὲ γρῖφοι καλέονται,

     tôn tà mèn amphíblēstra, tà dè grîphoi kaléontai,

2. (figuratively) riddle, enigma, anything intricate saying
   • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 20

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ γρῖφος; τοῦ γρῑ́φου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ γρῖφος ho grîphos	τὼ γρῑ́φω tṑ grī́phō	οἱ γρῖφοι hoi grîphoi
Genitive	τοῦ γρῑ́φου toû grī́phou	τοῖν γρῑ́φοιν toîn grī́phoin	τῶν γρῑ́φων tôn grī́phōn
Dative	τῷ γρῑ́φῳ tôi grī́phōi	τοῖν γρῑ́φοιν toîn grī́phoin	τοῖς γρῑ́φοις toîs grī́phois
Accusative	τὸν γρῖφον tòn grîphon	τὼ γρῑ́φω tṑ grī́phō	τοὺς γρῑ́φους toùs grī́phous
Vocative	γρῖφε grîphe	γρῑ́φω grī́phō	γρῖφοι grîphoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• γριφάομαι (gripháomai)
• γριφεύω (gripheúō)
• γριφοειδής (griphoeidḗs)
• γριφολογέω (griphologéō)
• γριφοπλόκος (griphoplókos)
• γριφότης (griphótēs)
• γριφώδης (griphṓdēs)
• γρίφωσις (gríphōsis)

Descendants

• → Greek: γρίφος (grífos) (learned)

Further reading

• “γρῖφος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• γρῖφος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γρῖφος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• “γρῖφος”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011