ἀσπίς

See also: Ασπίς

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Aspis

Ancient Greek

Etymology

For the “shield” sense, traditionally derived from ἀ- (a-) +‎ σπίζω (spízō, “to extend”). Beekes implicitly rejects this theory, and instead endorses Melchert's^[1] derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂esp- (“to cut”), whence also Latin asper (“rough, sharp”), Hittite [script needed] (ḫasp-, “to cut down”),^[2] though neither author explains why the suffix -ίς (-ís) (usually of Pre-Greek origin) should be expected to have back-formed from an i-stem.

The “snake” sense is most likely a semantic extension of the sense above, named after the "shield" formed by the cobra's neck when it rises up or attacks.^[3]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /as.pís/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /asˈpis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /asˈpis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /asˈpis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /asˈpis/

Noun

ᾰ̓σπίς • (ăspís) f (genitive ᾰ̓σπίδος); third declension

shield
collective, body of men-at-arms
(military) on the left
Antonym: δόρυ (dóru)
a round, flat bowl
a boss or knob on a door
asp, Egyptian cobra
ornament in the form of an asp

Declension

Third declension of ἡ ᾰ̓σπῐ́ς; τῆς ᾰ̓σπῐ́δος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓σπῐ́ς hē ăspĭ́s	τὼ ᾰ̓σπῐ́δε tṑ ăspĭ́de	αἱ ᾰ̓σπῐ́δες hai ăspĭ́des
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓σπῐ́δος tês ăspĭ́dos	τοῖν ᾰ̓σπῐ́δοιν toîn ăspĭ́doin	τῶν ᾰ̓σπῐ́δων tôn ăspĭ́dōn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓σπῐ́δῐ têi ăspĭ́dĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓σπῐ́δοιν toîn ăspĭ́doin	ταῖς ᾰ̓σπῐ́σῐ / ᾰ̓σπῐ́σῐν taîs ăspĭ́sĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓σπῐ́δᾰ tḕn ăspĭ́dă	τὼ ᾰ̓σπῐ́δε tṑ ăspĭ́de	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓σπῐ́δᾰς tā̀s ăspĭ́dăs
Vocative	ἀσπί aspí	ᾰ̓σπῐ́δε ăspĭ́de	ᾰ̓σπῐ́δες ăspĭ́des
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ds.

Derived terms

ἀσπιδιώτης (aspidiṓtēs)
ἀσπιδοποιός (aspidopoiós)
ἀσπιδοχελώνη (aspidokhelṓnē)
ἀσπιστής (aspistḗs)

Descendants

→ English: aspis
Greek: ασπίδα (aspída)
→ Latin: aspis (see there for further descendants)
→ Ukrainian: га́спид (háspyd), а́спид (áspyd), а́спід (áspid)

References

^ Melchert, H. Craig (2007) “PIE *h₂esp- ‘to cut’”, in Alan J. Nussbaum, editor, Verba Docenti: Studies in historical and Indo-European linguistics presented to Jay H. Jasanoff by students, colleagues, and friends, Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, pages 253–258: “I therefore suggest with all due reserve that Greek ἀσπίς, ἀσπίδος represents a remodeled i-stem action/result noun *h₂(e)spi- *‘cutting/thing cut’ in the specialized sense *‘skin, hide’ […]”
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσπίς 1, -ίδος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσπίς 2, -ίδος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154

“ἀσπίς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἀσπίς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἀσπίς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἀσπίς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀσπίς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἀσπίς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
“ἀσπίς”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G785 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.
- buckler idem, page 102.
- shield idem, page 765.
Index in Eustathii commentarios in Homeri Iliadem et Odysseam By Matthaeus Devarius Page 71
ἀσπίς, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

[1] Melchert, H. Craig (2007) “PIE *h₂esp- ‘to cut’”, in Alan J. Nussbaum, editor, Verba Docenti: Studies in historical and Indo-European linguistics presented to Jay H. Jasanoff by students, colleagues, and friends, Ann Arbor: Beech Stave Press, →ISBN, pages 253–258: “I therefore suggest with all due reserve that Greek ἀσπίς, ἀσπίδος represents a remodeled i-stem action/result noun *h₂(e)spi- *‘cutting/thing cut’ in the specialized sense *‘skin, hide’ […]”

[EDG-2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσπίς 1, -ίδος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154

[3] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀσπίς 2, -ίδος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154

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