ψαλτήριον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ψάλλω (psállō, “to touch sharply, to pluck, to pull, to twitch”) +‎ -τήριον (-tḗrion), from ψάω (psáō, “to touch lightly, to rub”), which acquired the meaning of plucking a harp, and later making music in general.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psal.tɛ̌ː.ri.on/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /psalˈte̝.ri.on/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /psalˈti.ri.on/

Noun

ψᾰλτήρῐον • (psăltḗrĭon) n (genitive ψᾰλτηρῐ́ου); second declension

stringed instrument, harp
(Byzantine, Christianity) psalter

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ ψᾰλτήρῐον; τοῦ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ψᾰλτήρῐον tò psăltḗrĭon	τὼ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω tṑ psăltērĭ́ō	τᾰ̀ ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ tằ psăltḗrĭă
Genitive	τοῦ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ου toû psăltērĭ́ou	τοῖν ψᾰλτηρῐ́οιν toîn psăltērĭ́oin	τῶν ψᾰλτηρῐ́ων tôn psăltērĭ́ōn
Dative	τῷ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ῳ tôi psăltērĭ́ōi	τοῖν ψᾰλτηρῐ́οιν toîn psăltērĭ́oin	τοῖς ψᾰλτηρῐ́οις toîs psăltērĭ́ois
Accusative	τὸ ψᾰλτήρῐον tò psăltḗrĭon	τὼ ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω tṑ psăltērĭ́ō	τᾰ̀ ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ tằ psăltḗrĭă
Vocative	ψᾰλτήρῐον psăltḗrĭon	ψᾰλτηρῐ́ω psăltērĭ́ō	ψᾰλτήρῐᾰ psăltḗrĭă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Aramaic: פְּסַנְתֵּרִין (psanterín)
- →? Persian: سنتور (santur)
  - → Armenian: սանթուր (santʻur), սանթուռ (santʻuṙ)
  - → English: santur, santūr, santour, santouri, santoor, santir
  - → Ottoman Turkish: سانطور (santur)
    - Turkish: santur
→ Greek: ψαλτήριο (psaltírio)
→ Latin: psaltērium (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Church Slavonic: ѱалтирь (psaltirĭ)
- → Romanian: psaltire