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 • (atalós) 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 atalós	ἀτᾰλή atalḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atalón		ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ		ἀτᾰλοί ataloí	ἀτᾰλαί atalaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Genitive		ἀτᾰλοῦ ataloû	ἀτᾰλῆς atalês	ἀτᾰλοῦ ataloû		ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atalaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn		ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn	ἀτᾰλῶν atalôn
Dative		ἀτᾰλῷ atalôi	ἀτᾰλῇ atalêi	ἀτᾰλῷ atalôi		ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn	ἀτᾰλαῖν atalaîn	ἀτᾰλοῖν ataloîn		ἀτᾰλοῖς ataloîs	ἀτᾰλαῖς atalaîs	ἀτᾰλοῖς ataloîs
Accusative		ἀτᾰλόν atalón	ἀτᾰλήν atalḗn	ἀτᾰλόν atalón		ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ		ἀτᾰλούς ataloús	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ς atalā́s	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Vocative		ἀτᾰλέ atalé	ἀτᾰλή atalḗ	ἀτᾰλόν atalón		ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ	ἀτᾰλᾱ́ atalā́	ἀτᾰλώ atalṓ		ἀτᾰλοί ataloí	ἀτᾰλαί atalaí	ἀτᾰλᾰ́ atalá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἀτᾰλῶς atalôs				ἀτᾰλώτερος atalṓteros				ἀτᾰλώτᾰτος atalṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀτᾰ́λλω (atállō)
• ἀτᾰλόψῡχος (atalópsūkhos)
• ἀτᾰλῶς (atalôs)

 

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 (2006–2024)
• 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