λύσσα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• λύττᾰ (lútta) — Attic

Etymology

Somewhat disputedly, thought to be equivalent to λῠ́κος m (lúkos, “wolf”) +‎ -ια (-ia, abstract noun suffix) (but formed already in Proto-Hellenic, like ὄσσᾰ (óssa) and γλῶσσᾰ (glôssa), which is necessary to account for the sound shift), thus the original meaning would have been “the state of being wolfish”.
Beekes maintains this etymology but, like Pokorny, considers the Greek root for “wolf” to be from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“to shine; light”) rather than *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”) with deformation. Compare the same root in such phrases as λευκαὶ φρένες· μαινόμεναι (leukaì phrénes; mainómenai, “raging, frenzied”, literally “glowing minds raving”) and λευκῶν πραπίδων· κακῶν φρενῶν (leukôn prapídōn; kakôn phrenôn, identical meaning, literally “of evil minds of glowing hearts”).

The less commonly held comparison to λῡ́ω (lū́ō, “to untie, let loose”) is probably to be abandoned.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /lýs.sa/ → /ˈlys.sa/ → /ˈli.sa/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /lýs.sa/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈlys.sa/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈlys.sa/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈlys.sa/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈli.sa/

Noun

λύσσᾰ • (lússa) f (genitive λύσσης); first declension

1. rage, fury
2. mania, raging madness
   1. fanaticism
3. rabies (of dogs)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ λῠ́σσᾰ; τῆς λῠ́σσης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ λῠ́σσᾰ hē lússa	τὼ λῠ́σσᾱ tṑ lússā	αἱ λῠ́σσαι hai lússai
Genitive	τῆς λῠ́σσης tês lússēs	τοῖν λῠ́σσαιν toîn lússain	τῶν λῠσσῶν tôn lussôn
Dative	τῇ λῠ́σσῃ têi lússēi	τοῖν λῠ́σσαιν toîn lússain	ταῖς λῠ́σσαις taîs lússais
Accusative	τὴν λῠ́σσᾰν tḕn lússan	τὼ λῠ́σσᾱ tṑ lússā	τᾱ̀ς λῠ́σσᾱς tā̀s lússās
Vocative	λῠ́σσᾰ lússa	λῠ́σσᾱ lússā	λῠ́σσαι lússai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• ἄλυσσον n (álusson, “madwort”)
• ἄλυσσος (álussos, “curing madness”)
• ἀλύσσω (alússō, “be uneasy, restless”)
• ἐκλυσσάω (eklussáō, “be raging”)
• κῠνόλυσσος m (kunólussos, “hydrophobia”) / κῠνόλυσσον n
• λυσσαίνω (lyssaíno, “rave”)
• λυσσαλέος (lyssaléos, “raging mad”)
• λυσσάς f (lyssás, “raging mad”)
• λυσσάω (lyssáo, “I am raging”)
• λυσσηδόν (lyssidón, “furiously, madly”, adverb)
• λυσσήεις (lyssíeis, “like madness, maniac”)
• λύσσημα n (lýssima, “fit of madness”)
• λυσσήρης (lyssíris, “raging mad”)
• λυσσητήρ (lyssitír, “one that is raging”)
• λυσσητής (lyssitís, “one that is raging”)
• λυσσητικός (lyssitikós, “driving mad”)
• λυσσόδηκτος (lyssódiktos, “bitten by a mad dog”)
• λυσσοδίωκτος (lyssodíoktos, “pursued by madness”)
• λυσσομανέω (lyssomanéo, “rage, rave”)
• λυσσομανής (lyssomanís, “raving mad”)
• λυσσομανίᾰ f (lussomanía, “paroxysm of madness”)
• λυσσόω (lyssóo, “enrage, madden”)
• λυσσώδης (lyssódis, “like one raging, frantic”)
• λυσσῶπις f (lussôpis, “with frantic glance”)
• προλυσσάω (prolyssáo, “advance raging”)
• προσλυσσάω (proslyssáo, “rage against”)
• συλλυσσάομαι (syllyssáomai, “go mad with”)
• ὑπολυσσάω (hupolussáō, “have a kind of madness”)

Related terms

Assuming the etymology given by Pokorny and Beekes:

Ancient Greek terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewk- (0 c, 6 e)

• λεύσσω (leússō, “to see”)
• λυκόφως (lukóphōs, “twilight”)

More at λῠ́κος (lúkos, “wolf”).

Descendants

• → English: lyssa (learned)
• → German: Lyssa (learned)
• Greek: λύσσα (lýssa)

References

• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λύσσα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 879–880
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) “leuk-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 687
• “λύσσα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λύσσα (lússa), from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlisa/
• Hyphenation: λύσ‧σα

Noun

λύσσα • (lýssa) f (uncountable)

1. (medicine) rabies (animal and human disease caused by species of Lyssavirus)

   Φύγε μακριά απ’ αυτό το σκυλί· έχει λύσσα και αν σε δαγκώσει, τελείωσες.

   Fýge makriá ap’ aftó to skylí; échei lýssa kai an se dagkósei, teleíoses.

   Get away from that dog; it has rabies and if it bites you, you're finished.

2. (figuratively) rage, fierceness, fury

   Synonyms: οργή (orgí), τρέλα (tréla), μανία (manía), ορμητικότητα (ormitikótita), αλλοφροσύνη (allofrosýni)

   Η θάλασσα χτυπούσε με λύσσα πάνω στα βράχια.

   I thálassa chtypoúse me lýssa páno sta vráchia.

   The sea bashed the rocks with fury.

3. (figuratively, followed by με (me) or για (gia)) obsession with/for, mania with/for

   Synonym: μανία (manía)

   Έχω λύσσα για τον τζόγο.

   Écho lýssa gia ton tzógo.

   I am obsessed with gambling.

4. overly salty food

   Αυτά τα μπιφτέκια είναι λύσσα.

   Aftá ta biftékia eínai lýssa.

   These burgers are way too salty.

5. great hunger

   Ας βρούμε κάνα εστιατόριο, έχω λύσσα.

   As vroúme kána estiatório, écho lýssa.

   Let's find a restaurant, I'm famished.

Declension

	singular
nominative	λύσσα (lýssa)
genitive	λύσσας (lýssas)
accusative	λύσσα (lýssa)
vocative	λύσσα (lýssa)

Derived terms

Expressions

• έφαγα τα λυσσιακά μου (éfaga ta lyssiaká mou)
• λύσσαξα να (lýssaxa na)
• με έπιασε λύσσα κακιά (me épiase lýssa kakiá)
• με λύσσαξαν στο ξύλο (me lýssaxan sto xýlo)

 

Related terms

• and see: λύκος m (lýkos, “wolf”)
• and see: λύχνος m (lýchnos, “lamp”)
• αντιλυσσικός (antilyssikós, “anti-rabic”, adjective)
• λυσσαλέος (lyssaléos, “rabid, furious”, adjective)
• λυσσάρης (lyssáris, “rabid”, adjective)
• λυσσάρικος (lyssárikos, “rabid”, adjective)
• λυσσασμένος (lyssasménos, “rabid”, participle)
• λυσσάω (lyssáo, “to go rabid, to be furious”)
• λυσσιακά n pl (lyssiaká)
• λυσσιατρείο n (lyssiatreío, “rabies clinic”)
• λυσσίατρος m or f (lyssíatros, “rabies doctor”)
• λυσσμανάω (lyssmanáo)
• λυσσώδης (lyssódis, “frantic”, adjective)
• ψωμόλυσσα f (psomólyssa, “extreme hunger”)

 

Verb

λύσσα • (lýssa)

1. 2nd person singular present imperfective imperative form of λυσσάω (lyssáo).

   Alternative form: λύσσαγε (lýssage)

2. 2nd person singular simple past perfective imperative form of λυσσάω (lyssáo).

   Alternative form: λύσσαξε (lýssaxe)

Further reading

• λύσσα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el