σίφων

Ancient Greek

Etymology

A technical term, with a formation similar to ἄμβων (ámbōn) and δόλων (dólōn), of uncertain origin. Possibly a non-Indo-European loan of sound-symbolic origin, particularly from a Mediterranean substrate language. Usually connected to Latin tībia (“shinbone; pipe, flute”), also of unclear origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sǐː.pʰɔːn/ → /ˈsi.ɸon/ → /ˈsi.fon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sǐː.pʰɔːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.pʰon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.ɸon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fon/

Noun

σῑ́φων • (sī́phōn) m (genitive σῑ́φωνος); third declension

1. tube, pipe
2. siphon, used for drawing wine out of the cask
3. drainage tube for hydrocele
4. service pipe for water in houses
5. waterspout from the gutters of the roof

Declension

Third declension of ὁ σῑ́φων; τοῦ σῑ́φωνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σῑ́φων ho sī́phōn	τὼ σῑ́φωνε tṑ sī́phōne	οἱ σῑ́φωνες hoi sī́phōnes
Genitive	τοῦ σῑ́φωνος toû sī́phōnos	τοῖν σῑφώνοιν toîn sīphṓnoin	τῶν σῑφώνων tôn sīphṓnōn
Dative	τῷ σῑ́φωνῐ tôi sī́phōni	τοῖν σῑφώνοιν toîn sīphṓnoin	τοῖς σῑ́φωσῐ / σῑ́φωσῐν toîs sī́phōsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν σῑ́φωνᾰ tòn sī́phōna	τὼ σῑ́φωνε tṑ sī́phōne	τοὺς σῑ́φωνᾰς toùs sī́phōnas
Vocative	σῑ́φων sī́phōn	σῑ́φωνε sī́phōne	σῑ́φωνες sī́phōnes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σιφωνίζω (siphōnízō)
• σιφώνιον (siphṓnion)
• σιφωνολογία (siphōnología)

 

Descendants

• Greek: σίφουνας (sífounas)
• → Latin: siphō

Further reading

• “σίφων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “σίφων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• σίφων in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette