ψίθυρος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ψεδυρός (psedurós), ψίθυρ (psíthur)

Etymology

If it dissimilated from *ψυθυρ-, it may belong to ψύθος (psúthos, “lie, untruth”). On the other hand, it can be compared to ψίζομαι (psízomai, “to weep”). Pisani considered a relationship with Sanskrit क्ष्वेडति (kṣveḍati, “to hum, murmur”). Given the variants, the word is probably Pre-Greek.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /psí.tʰy.ros/ → /ˈpsi.θy.ros/ → /ˈpsi.θi.ros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psí.tʰy.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.tʰy.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.θy.ros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.θy.ros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.θi.ros/

Adjective

ψῐ́θῠρος • (psíthuros) m or f (neuter ψῐ́θῠρον); second declension

1. whispering, slanderous
2. twittering, chirping

Inflection

Second declension of ψῐ́θῠρος; ψῐ́θῠρον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ψῐ́θῠρος psíthuros	ψῐ́θῠρον psíthuron		ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō	ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō		ψῐ́θῠροι psíthuroi	ψῐ́θῠρᾰ psíthura
Genitive		ψῐθῠ́ρου psithúrou	ψῐθῠ́ρου psithúrou		ψῐθῠ́ροιν psithúroin	ψῐθῠ́ροιν psithúroin		ψῐθῠ́ρων psithúrōn	ψῐθῠ́ρων psithúrōn
Dative		ψῐθῠ́ρῳ psithúrōi	ψῐθῠ́ρῳ psithúrōi		ψῐθῠ́ροιν psithúroin	ψῐθῠ́ροιν psithúroin		ψῐθῠ́ροις psithúrois	ψῐθῠ́ροις psithúrois
Accusative		ψῐ́θῠρον psíthuron	ψῐ́θῠρον psíthuron		ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō	ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō		ψῐθῠ́ρους psithúrous	ψῐ́θῠρᾰ psíthura
Vocative		ψῐ́θῠρε psíthure	ψῐ́θῠρον psíthuron		ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō	ψῐθῠ́ρω psithúrō		ψῐ́θῠροι psíthuroi	ψῐ́θῠρᾰ psíthura
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ψῐθῠ́ρως psithúrōs			—			—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ψίθυρα (psíthura)
• ψιθυρίζω (psithurízō)
• ψιθυρίς (psithurís)
• ψιθύρισμα (psithúrisma)
• ψιθυρισμός (psithurismós)
• ψιθυριστής (psithuristḗs)
• ψιθυριστικός (psithuristikós)

 

Descendants

• Greek: ψίθυρος (psíthyros)
• → Translingual: Psithyrus

Further reading

• “ψίθυρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ψίθυρος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ψίθυρος 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

Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.θi.ɾos/
• Hyphenation: ψί‧θυ‧ρος

Noun

ψίθυρος • (psíthyros) m (plural ψίθυροι)

1. (onomatopoeia) whisper (speaking quietly)

Declension

Declension of ψίθυρος

	singular	plural
nominative	ψίθυρος (psíthyros)	ψίθυροι (psíthyroi)
genitive	ψίθυρου (psíthyrou) ψιθύρου (psithýrou)	ψίθυρων (psíthyron) ψιθύρων (psithýron)
accusative	ψίθυρο (psíthyro)	ψίθυρους (psíthyrous) ψιθύρους (psithýrous)
vocative	ψίθυρε (psíthyre)	ψίθυροι (psíthyroi)

Second forms are formal. 

Related terms

• σιγοψιθυρίζω (sigopsithyrízo)
• ψιθυρίζω (psithyrízo, “whisper”)
• ψιθύρισμα n (psithýrisma)
• ψιθυρισμός m (psithyrismós)
• ψιθυριστής m (psithyristís)
• ψιθυριστός (psithyristós, “whispered, hushed”, adjective)
• ψιθυριστά (psithyristá, “in a whisper”, adverb)
• ψιθυρίζεται (psithyrízetai, “impersonal: it is rumoured”)