ἀλκυών

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἁλκυών (halkuṓn)
• αὐκυών (aukuṓn) — Cretan

Etymology

Unknown, apparently from Pre-Greek. The variant ἁλκυών (halkuṓn) arose by folk etymology as ἅλς (háls, “salt”) + κυέω (kuéō, “to conceive”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /al.ky.ɔ̌ːn/ → /al.cyˈon/ → /al.ciˈon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /al.ky.ɔ̌ːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /al.kyˈon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /al.cyˈon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /al.cyˈon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /al.ciˈon/

Noun

ἀλκυών • (alkuṓn) f (genitive ἀλκυόνος); third declension

1. kingfisher, halcyon
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.562–564:

     οὕνεκ᾽ ἄρ᾽ αὐτῆς / μήτηρ ἀλκυόνος πολυπενθέος οἶτον ἔχουσα / κλαῖεν

     hoúnek’ ár’ autês / mḗtēr alkuónos polupenthéos oîton ékhousa / klaîen

     because her / mother, having the fate of the much-suffering kingfisher, / wept.

   • [5th c. C.E., Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:

     ἀλκυών· εἶδος ὀρνέου

     alkuṓn; eîdos ornéou

     alkuṓn: a species of bird]

2. (Laconian) A divinity.
   • [5th c. C.E., Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:

     ἀλκυών· […] καὶ δαίμων τις ⟨παρὰ Λάκωσι⟩

     alkuṓn; […] kaì daímōn tis ⟨parà Lákōsi⟩

     alkuṓn: […] and a divinity among the Laconians]

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ἀλκῠών; τῆς ἀλκῠόνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἀλκῠών hē alkŭṓn	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkŭóne	αἱ ἀλκῠόνες hai alkŭónes
Genitive	τῆς ἀλκῠόνος tês alkŭónos	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkŭónoin	τῶν ἀλκῠόνων tôn alkŭónōn
Dative	τῇ ἀλκῠόνῐ têi alkŭónĭ	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkŭónoin	ταῖς ἀλκῠόσῐ / ἀλκῠόσῐν taîs alkŭósĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ἀλκῠόνᾰ tḕn alkŭónă	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkŭóne	τᾱ̀ς ἀλκῠόνᾰς tā̀s alkŭónăs
Vocative	ἀλκῠών alkŭṓn	ἀλκῠόνε alkŭóne	ἀλκῠόνες alkŭónes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Classical Syriac: ܐܠܩܐܘܢ (/⁠ʾlqʾwn⁠/)
• → Latin: alcēdō, halcyōn (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Armenian: աղկիոն (ałkion), աղկիովն (ałkiovn)
• → Old Georgian: ალკჳონი (alḳwioni)
  • Georgian: ალკუნი (alḳuni)
• → Old East Slavic: алкионъ (alkionŭ)

Further reading

• “ἀλκυών”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀλκυών”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀλκυών”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἀλκυών in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀλκυών in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἀλκυών in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἀλκυών”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • king-fisher idem, page 470.