ἄκολος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The etymology of this word is disputed. A relation with Phrygian ακκαλος (akkalos, “mouthful”) is commonly assumed, but according to Petrantoni, both are independent borrowings from a third language, possibly a Semitic one.^[1] Compare Akkadian 𒀀𒅗𒈝 (akalum, “loaf of bread”).

Beekes hesitantly proposes a "foreign origin", but does not rule out a Pre-Greek origin.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.ko.los/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ko.los/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ko.los/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ko.los/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ko.los/

Noun

ἄκολος • (ákolos) f (genitive ἀκόλου); second declension

morsel, bit
Synonyms: ἀττᾰ́ρᾰγος (attáragos), βλωμός (blōmós), ψῑ́ξ (psī́x), ψωμός (psōmós)
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.222:
  αἰτίζων ἀκόλους, οὐκ ἄορας οὐδὲ λέβητας
  aitízōn akólous, ouk áoras oudè lébētas
  1919 translation by A.T. Murray
  begging for scraps, not for swords or cauldrons

Inflection

Second declension of ἡ ἄκολος; τῆς ἀκόλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἄκολος hē ákolos	τὼ ἀκόλω tṑ akólō	αἱ ἄκολοι hai ákoloi
Genitive	τῆς ἀκόλου tês akólou	τοῖν ἀκόλοιν toîn akóloin	τῶν ἀκόλων tôn akólōn
Dative	τῇ ἀκόλῳ têi akólōi	τοῖν ἀκόλοιν toîn akóloin	ταῖς ἀκόλοις taîs akólois
Accusative	τὴν ἄκολον tḕn ákolon	τὼ ἀκόλω tṑ akólō	τᾱ̀ς ἀκόλους tā̀s akólous
Vocative	ἄκολε ákole	ἀκόλω akólō	ἄκολοι ákoloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

^ Petrantoni, Giuseppe (2019) “On the Semitic origin of Greek ἄκολος”, in Semitica et Classica, volume 12, Brepols Publishers, →DOI, pages 227–228
^ 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

“ἄκολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἄκολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἄκολος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἄκολος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἄκολος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἄκολος 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

[1] Petrantoni, Giuseppe (2019) “On the Semitic origin of Greek ἄκολος”, in Semitica et Classica, volume 12, Brepols Publishers, →DOI, pages 227–228

[2] 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

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