ψάρ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ψήρ (psḗr) — Ionic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *spḗr, from Proto-Indo-European *spḗr (“sparrow, bird”). Cognate with English sparrow.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /psǎːr/ → /psar/ → /psar/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psǎːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /psar/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /psar/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /psar/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /psar/

Noun

ψᾱ́ρ • (psā́r) m (genitive ψᾱρός); third declension

1. starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 17.755:

     τῶν δ’ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν οὖλον κεκλήγοντες...

     tôn d’ hṓs te psarôn néphos érkhetai ēè koloiôn oûlon keklḗgontes...

     And as a cloud of starlings or daws flies, shrieking cries of doom...

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ ψᾱ́ρ; τοῦ ψᾱρός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ψᾱ́ρ ho psā́r	τὼ ψᾶρε tṑ psâre	οἱ ψᾶρες hoi psâres
Genitive	τοῦ ψᾱρός toû psārós	τοῖν ψᾱροῖν toîn psāroîn	τῶν ψᾱρῶν tôn psārôn
Dative	τῷ ψᾱρῐ́ tôi psārí	τοῖν ψᾱροῖν toîn psāroîn	τοῖς ψᾱρσῐ́ / ψᾱρσῐ́ν toîs psārsí(n)
Accusative	τὸν ψᾶρᾰ tòn psâra	τὼ ψᾶρε tṑ psâre	τοὺς ψᾶρᾰς toùs psâras
Vocative	ψᾱ́ρ psā́r	ψᾶρε psâre	ψᾶρες psâres
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ψαρός (psarós)

See also

• ψάρων (psárōn)

References

• “ψάρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ψάρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ψάρ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ψάρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ψάρ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963