σκῆπτρον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σκᾶπτον (skâpton), σκᾶπτρον (skâptron) — Doric
• σκᾶπος (skâpos) — Doric

Etymology

From σκήπτω (skḗptō) +‎ -τρον (-tron).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /skɛ̂ːp.tron/ → /ˈscip.tron/ → /ˈscip.tron/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /skɛ̂ːp.tron/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈske̝p.tron/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈscip.tron/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈscip.tron/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈscip.tron/

Noun

σκῆπτρον • (skêptron) n (genitive σκήπτρου); second declension

1. a staff, stick to lean on, used by lame or aged persons

   Synonym: σκίπων (skípōn)

   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.416
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 13.437
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 14.31
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.199
2. a staff, baton, especially as the badge of command, sceptre
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.100
   1. royalty, kingly power, rule
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.159
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.38
3. (in LXX) tribe

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ σκῆπτρον; τοῦ σκήπτρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σκῆπτρον tò skêptron	τὼ σκήπτρω tṑ skḗptrō	τᾰ̀ σκῆπτρᾰ tà skêptra
Genitive	τοῦ σκήπτρου toû skḗptrou	τοῖν σκήπτροιν toîn skḗptroin	τῶν σκήπτρων tôn skḗptrōn
Dative	τῷ σκήπτρῳ tôi skḗptrōi	τοῖν σκήπτροιν toîn skḗptroin	τοῖς σκήπτροις toîs skḗptrois
Accusative	τὸ σκῆπτρον tò skêptron	τὼ σκήπτρω tṑ skḗptrō	τᾰ̀ σκῆπτρᾰ tà skêptra
Vocative	σκῆπτρον skêptron	σκήπτρω skḗptrō	σκῆπτρᾰ skêptra
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• (tribe): φυλή (phulḗ)

Derived terms

• ἐρῠσῐ́σκηπτρον (erusískēptron)

Descendants

• Greek: σκήπτρο (skíptro)
• → Latin: scēptrum
• → Russian: ски́петр (skípetr)
• → Old Georgian: სკიპარტი (sḳiṗarṭi)

References

• “σκῆπτρον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σκῆπτρον in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• σκῆπτρον in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • cane idem, page 110.
  • crook idem, page 185.
  • mace idem, page 506.
  • rule idem, page 725.
  • sceptre idem, page 738.
  • staff idem, page 808.
  • stick idem, page 816.
  • throne idem, page 870.
  • walking stick idem, page 960.
  • wand idem, page 961.