ἡμικύκλιον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Neuter form of ἡμῐκῠ́κλιος (hēmikúklios, “semicircular”), or from ἡμι- (hēmi-, half) +‎ κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”) +‎ -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hɛː.mi.ký.kli.on/ → /i.miˈcy.kli.on/ → /i.miˈci.kli.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hɛː.mi.ký.kli.on/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)e̝.miˈky.kli.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /i.miˈcy.kli.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /i.miˈcy.kli.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /i.miˈci.kli.on/

Noun

ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐον • (hēmikúklion) n (genitive ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ου); second declension

1. (geometry) semicircle
2. place for public entertainment or meeting
3. semicircular seat, armchair

   Synonym: ἐπῐ́κλῐντρον (epíklintron)

4. semicircular dial
5. semicircular base of a statue
6. drum of a half-column
7. (architecture) barrel vault
8. theatrical machine described by Julius Pollux

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐον; τοῦ ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐον tò hēmikúklion	τὼ ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ω tṑ hēmikuklíō	τᾰ̀ ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐᾰ tà hēmikúklia
Genitive	τοῦ ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ου toû hēmikuklíou	τοῖν ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́οιν toîn hēmikuklíoin	τῶν ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ων tôn hēmikuklíōn
Dative	τῷ ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ῳ tôi hēmikuklíōi	τοῖν ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́οιν toîn hēmikuklíoin	τοῖς ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́οις toîs hēmikuklíois
Accusative	τὸ ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐον tò hēmikúklion	τὼ ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ω tṑ hēmikuklíō	τᾰ̀ ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐᾰ tà hēmikúklia
Vocative	ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐον hēmikúklion	ἡμῐκῠκλῐ́ω hēmikuklíō	ἡμῐκῠ́κλῐᾰ hēmikúklia
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: ημικύκλιο (imikýklio)
• Latin: hēmicyclium
  • → English: hemicycle
  • → French: hémicycle

Further reading

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