ἕλκος

See also: έλκος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁élḱos (“wound, illness, ulcer”), from the root *h₁elḱ-. Cognate with Latin ulcus (“ulcer”) and Sanskrit अर्शस् (árśas, “hemorrhoids”)). The non-etymological spiritus asper is usually explained by the folk-etymological influence of ἕλκω (hélkō, “to drag”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hél.kos/ → /ˈel.kos/ → /ˈel.kos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hél.kos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)el.kos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈel.kos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈel.kos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈel.kos/

Noun

ἕλκος • (hélkos) n (genitive ἕλκεος or ἕλκους); third declension

1. An open wound, an injury
2. A cut in a tree

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ἕλκος; τοῦ ἕλκους (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἕλκος tò hélkos	τὼ ἕλκει tṑ hélkei	τᾰ̀ ἕλκη tà hélkē
Genitive	τοῦ ἕλκους toû hélkous	τοῖν ἑλκοῖν toîn helkoîn	τῶν ἑλκῶν tôn helkôn
Dative	τῷ ἕλκει tôi hélkei	τοῖν ἑλκοῖν toîn helkoîn	τοῖς ἕλκεσῐ / ἕλκεσῐν toîs hélkesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ ἕλκος tò hélkos	τὼ ἕλκει tṑ hélkei	τᾰ̀ ἕλκη tà hélkē
Vocative	ἕλκος hélkos	ἕλκει hélkei	ἕλκη hélkē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀνελκής (anelkḗs, “free from ulceration”)
• ἀνελκόομαι (anelkóomai, “suppurate afresh”)
• ἀφελκόω (aphelkóō, “make an incision, tap”)
• δυσελκής (duselkḗs, “unfavourable for healing”)
• ἑλκαίνω (helkaínō, “fester”)
• ἑλκήεις (helkḗeis, “full of ulcers”)
• ἑλκόομαι (helkóomai)
• ἑλκοποιέω (helkopoiéō, “make wounds”)
• ἑλκοποιός (helkopoiós, “wounding”)
• ἑλκόω (helkóō, “wound, lacerate”)
• ἑλκύδριον n (helkúdrion, “slight sore”)
• ἑλκώδης (helkṓdēs, “like a wound”)
• ἕλκωμα n (hélkōma, “sore, ulcer”)
• ἑλκωματικός (helkōmatikós, “causing sores”)
• ἕλκωσις f (hélkōsis, “ulceration”)
• ἑλκωτικός (helkōtikós, “causing sores”)
• ἐξελκόω (exelkóō, “cause sores in”)
• ἐξέλκωσις f (exélkōsis, “-causing of sores in”)
• ἐφελκόομαι (ephelkóomai, “break out into sores”)
• ἐφέλκωσις f (ephélkōsis, “ulceration”)
• καθελκόομαι (kathelkóomai, “break out into sores”)
• κακελκής (kakelkḗs, “having an ulcer”)
• κακοελκής (kakoelkḗs, “badly festering”)
• πολυελκής (poluelkḗs, “with many sores”)
• προελκόομαι (proelkóomai, “be ulcerated before”)
• προεξελκόω (proexelkóō, “exulcerate before”)

 

Unrelated to the derived words from ἕλκω (hélkō, “I drag”).

Descendants

• → Greek: έλκος (élkos) (learned)

Further reading

• “ἕλκος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἕλκος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἕλκος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette