ἀταλός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Leumann derives this adjective from ἀταλάφρων (ataláphrōn, “tender-minded”), which is the negation of ταλάφρων (taláphrōn, “patient of mind”). Although it explains the compositional vowel α-, the whole analysis is too complicated. Derivation from ἄττα (átta, “father”) seems improbable too. Furnée compares ἀζαλαί (azalaí, “young and tender”) and concludes that this is a Pre-Greek word, which is quite probable.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.ta.lós/ → /a.taˈlos/ → /a.taˈlos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ta.lós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.taˈlos/

Adjective

ἀτᾰλός • (atălós) m (feminine ἀτᾰλή, neuter ἀτᾰλόν); first/second declension

1. (of youthful persons) tender, delicate
2. (of elders) tremulous, shaking, trembling

Inflection

First and second declension of ἀτᾰλός; ἀτᾰλή; ἀτᾰλόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἀτᾰλός atălós	ἀτᾰλή atălḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atălón		ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atălā́	ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ		ἀτᾰλοί atăloí	ἀτᾰλαί atălaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atălắ
Genitive		ἀτᾰλοῦ atăloû	ἀτᾰλῆς atălês	ἀτᾰλοῦ atăloû		ἀτᾰλοῖν atăloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atălaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν atăloîn		ἀτᾰλῶν atălôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atălôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atălôn
Dative		ἀτᾰλῷ atălôi	ἀτᾰλῇ atălêi	ἀτᾰλῷ atălôi		ἀτᾰλοῖν atăloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atălaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν atăloîn		ἀτᾰλοῖς atăloîs	ἀτᾰλαῖς atălaîs	ἀτᾰλοῖς atăloîs
Accusative		ἀτᾰλόν atălón	ἀτᾰλήν atălḗn	ἀτᾰλόν atălón		ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atălā́	ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ		ἀτᾰλούς atăloús	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ς atălā́s	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atălắ
Vocative		ἀτᾰλέ atălé	ἀτᾰλή atălḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atălón		ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atălā́	ἀτᾰλώ atălṓ		ἀτᾰλοί atăloí	ἀτᾰλαί atălaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atălắ
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἀτᾰλῶς atălôs				ἀτᾰλώτερος atălṓteros				ἀτᾰλώτᾰτος atălṓtătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀτᾰ́λλω (atắllō)
• ἀτᾰλόψῡχος (atălópsūkhos)
• ἀτᾰλῶς (atălôs)

Further reading

• “ἀταλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀταλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀταλός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀταλός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• 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