σφάκελος

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /spʰá.ke.los/ → /ˈsɸa.ce.los/ → /ˈsfa.ce.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰá.ke.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰa.ke.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸa.ce.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfa.ce.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfa.ce.los/

Etymology 1

The formation is similar to σκόπελος (skópelos) and πύελος (púelos), from an unknown root. The word has been connected with Middle High German spachen (“to split”) and Low German spaken (“to putrify”) but it can hardly be correct.

Noun

σφάκελος • (sphákelos) m (genitive σφᾰκέλου); second declension

1. (pathology) gangrene, caries, necrosis
2. spasm, convulsion, cramp, twitching pain

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σφᾰ́κελος; τοῦ σφᾰκέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφᾰ́κελος ho sphắkelos	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphăkélō	οἱ σφᾰ́κελοι hoi sphắkeloi
Genitive	τοῦ σφᾰκέλου toû sphăkélou	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphăkéloin	τῶν σφᾰκέλων tôn sphăkélōn
Dative	τῷ σφᾰκέλῳ tôi sphăkélōi	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphăkéloin	τοῖς σφᾰκέλοις toîs sphăkélois
Accusative	τὸν σφᾰ́κελον tòn sphắkelon	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphăkélō	τοὺς σφᾰκέλους toùs sphăkélous
Vocative	σφᾰ́κελε sphắkele	σφᾰκέλω sphăkélō	σφᾰ́κελοι sphắkeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• σφακελίζω (sphakelízō)
• σφακελισμός (sphakelismós)
• σφακελώδης (sphakelṓdēs)

Descendants

• French: sphacèle
• Italian: sfacelo
• Portuguese: esfácelo

Etymology 2

From Pre-Greek, in view of the variation.

Alternative forms

• σφάκηλος (sphákēlos)

Noun

σφάκελος • (sphákelos) m (genitive σφᾰκέλου); second declension

1. (anatomy) middle finger

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σφᾰ́κελος; τοῦ σφᾰκέλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σφᾰ́κελος ho sphắkelos	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphăkélō	οἱ σφᾰ́κελοι hoi sphắkeloi
Genitive	τοῦ σφᾰκέλου toû sphăkélou	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphăkéloin	τῶν σφᾰκέλων tôn sphăkélōn
Dative	τῷ σφᾰκέλῳ tôi sphăkélōi	τοῖν σφᾰκέλοιν toîn sphăkéloin	τοῖς σφᾰκέλοις toîs sphăkélois
Accusative	τὸν σφᾰ́κελον tòn sphắkelon	τὼ σφᾰκέλω tṑ sphăkélō	τοὺς σφᾰκέλους toùs sphăkélous
Vocative	σφᾰ́κελε sphắkele	σφᾰκέλω sphăkélō	σφᾰ́κελοι sphắkeloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “σφάκελος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σφάκελος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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