ἀλώπηξ

See also: αλώπηξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ᾰ̓λωπός (ălōpós)

Etymology

Presumably from earlier Proto-Hellenic *alōpēkos, *alṓpāks. Some linguists have attempted derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂lōpeh₂s (stem *h₂lop-); compare Old Armenian աղուէս (ałuēs), Lithuanian lãpė, Latvian lapsa and Sanskrit लोपाश (lopāśá). The many irregular variations on the word may suggest a Mediterranean wanderword instead; compare Luwian [script needed] (ulipna-)/[script needed] (walipna-, “wolf”) and Latin vulpēs (“fox”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.lɔ̌ː.pɛːks/ → /aˈlo.piks/ → /aˈlo.piks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lɔ̌ː.pɛːks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.pe̝ks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/

Noun

ᾰ̓λώπηξ • (ălṓpēx) f (genitive ᾰ̓λώπεκος); third declension

1. fox (small canine of the genus Vulpes)
   • 1st century C.E., Gospel of Matthew 8, 20b and Gospel of Luke 9, 58b (Q).

     Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ.

     Hai alṓpekes phōleoùs ékhousin kaì tà peteinà toû ouranoû kataskēnṓseis, ho dè huiòs toû anthrṓpou ouk ékhei poû tḕn kephalḕn klínēi.

     The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have roosts, but the Son of Man has nothing where he may lay his head.

   Synonym: βασσάρα (bassára)

2. (figuratively) cunning or sly person

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ᾰ̓λώπηξ; τῆς ᾰ̓λώπεκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓λώπηξ hē ălṓpēx	τὼ ᾰ̓λώπεκε tṑ ălṓpeke	αἱ ᾰ̓λώπεκες hai ălṓpekes
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓λώπεκος tês ălṓpekos	τοῖν ᾰ̓λωπέκοιν toîn ălōpékoin	τῶν ᾰ̓λωπέκων tôn ălōpékōn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓λώπεκῐ têi ălṓpekĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓λωπέκοιν toîn ălōpékoin	ταῖς ᾰ̓λώπεξῐ / ᾰ̓λώπεξῐν taîs ălṓpexĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓λώπεκᾰ tḕn ălṓpekă	τὼ ᾰ̓λώπεκε tṑ ălṓpeke	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓λώπεκᾰς tā̀s ălṓpekăs
Vocative	ᾰ̓λώπηξ ălṓpēx	ᾰ̓λώπεκε ălṓpeke	ᾰ̓λώπεκες ălṓpekes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀλωπεκία (alōpekía)
• ἀλωπεκίζειν (alōpekízein)
• ἀλωπέκιον (alōpékion)
• ἀλωπεκίς (alōpekís)
• ἀλωπέκουρος (alōpékouros)
• κυναλώπηξ (kunalṓpēx)
• χηναλώπηξ (khēnalṓpēx)

Descendants

• Greek: > αλεπού (alepoú) (inherited), → ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx), αλώπηξ (alópix) (learned)
• Mariupol Greek: алыпу́ (alypú)
• Pontic Greek: αλεπός (alepós)
• → Samoan: ālope (learned)
  • → Tokelauan: ālope (learned)
• → Translingual: Alopex (learned)

Further reading

• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀλώπηξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀλώπηξ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G258 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 342
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • fox idem, page 341.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx).

Noun

ἀλώπηξ • (alṓpēx) f (plural αλώπεκες)

1. (Katharevousa) fox

Declension

Declension of ἀλώπηξ

	singular	plural
nominative	ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx)	ἀλώπεκες (alṓpekes)
genitive	ἀλώπεκος (alṓpekos)	ἀλωπέκων (alōpékōn)
accusative	ἀλώπεκα (alṓpeka)	ἀλώπεκας (alṓpekas)
vocative	ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx)	ἀλώπεκες (alṓpekes)

Alternative forms

• αλώπηξ (alópix)

Synonyms

• αλεπού f (alepoú)

Related terms

• Αλώπηξ f (Alópix, “Vulpecula”)