σμίλη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σμῖλα (smîla)

Etymology

The word has been connected with Proto-Germanic *smiþaz (“smith”); however, this etymology is shaky. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *smī- (“to cut, hew”). Alternatively, a Pre-Greek etymology might be considered.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /zmǐː.lɛː/ → /ˈzmi.li/ → /ˈzmi.li/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /zmǐː.lɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈzmi.le̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈzmi.li/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈzmi.li/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈzmi.li/

Noun

σμῑ́λη • (smī́lē) f (genitive σμῑ́λης); first declension

1. A tool for cutting or carving: knife, chisel

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σμῑ́λη; τῆς σμῑ́λης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σμῑ́λη hē smī́lē	τὼ σμῑ́λᾱ tṑ smī́lā	αἱ σμῖλαι hai smîlai
Genitive	τῆς σμῑ́λης tês smī́lēs	τοῖν σμῑ́λαιν toîn smī́lain	τῶν σμῑλῶν tôn smīlôn
Dative	τῇ σμῑ́λῃ têi smī́lēi	τοῖν σμῑ́λαιν toîn smī́lain	ταῖς σμῑ́λαις taîs smī́lais
Accusative	τὴν σμῑ́λην tḕn smī́lēn	τὼ σμῑ́λᾱ tṑ smī́lā	τᾱ̀ς σμῑ́λᾱς tā̀s smī́lās
Vocative	σμῑ́λη smī́lē	σμῑ́λᾱ smī́lā	σμῖλαι smîlai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σμιλάριον (smilárion)
• σμιλεία (smileía)
• σμίλευμα (smíleuma)
• σμιλευτός (smileutós)
• σμιλιγλύφος (smiliglúphos)
• σμίλινος (smílinos)
• σμίλιον (smílion)
• σμιλιωτός (smiliōtós)

 

Descendants

• → Aramaic: (“scalpel, shoe-knife”)

  Classical Syriac: ܙܡܝܻܠܝܳܐ (zmēlyā)

  Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܝܙܡܝܠ (/⁠*ʾizmēl⁠/)

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic: אִיזְמֵיל / אִיזְמֵל / אִזְמֵל (ʾizmēl), אוּזְמֵל (ʾuzmēl)

  • → Arabic: إِزْمِيل (ʔizmīl, “shoe-knife; chisel”)
• → Hebrew: אִזְמֵל (ʾizmēl, “scalpel”)

Further reading

• “σμίλη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • chisel idem, page 130.
  • knife idem, page 470.
  • scoop idem, page 740.
• 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
• “ˀwzmyl”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–

Greek

Noun

σμίλη • (smíli) f (plural σμίλες)

1. chisel

   Synonym: σκαρπέλο (skarpélo)

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	σμίλη (smíli)	σμίλες (smíles)
genitive	σμίλης (smílis)	σμίλων (smílon)
accusative	σμίλη (smíli)	σμίλες (smíles)
vocative	σμίλη (smíli)	σμίλες (smíles)

The genitive σμιλών (smilón) is less common.

Related terms

• ασμίλευτος (asmíleftos, “unchiselled”, adjective)
• σμιλεύω (smilévo, “to chisel”)

Further reading

• Σκαρπέλο on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el
• σμίλη, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language