Ὄασις

See also: oasis, oásis, Oasis, and OASIS

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 5 February 2016

Alternative forms

• Αὔᾰσῐς (Aúăsĭs)

Etymology

From Demotic wḥj, earlier hieroglyphic

wḥꜣt (also meaning “cauldron”). Compare Bohairic Coptic ⲟⲩⲁϩⲓ (ouahi), Sahidic Coptic ⲟⲩⲁϩⲉ (ouahe), and Arabic واحة (wāḥa).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ó.a.sis/ → /ˈo.a.sis/ → /ˈo.a.sis/

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

Proper noun

Ὄᾰσῐς • (Óăsĭs) f (genitive Ὀᾰ́σεως or Ὀᾰ́σῐος); third declension

1. any one of the cities in the Libyan Desert
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.26:

     ἐπειδὴ ἐκ τῆς Ὀάσιος ταύτης ἰέναι διὰ τῆς ψάμμου ἐπὶ σφέας, γενέσθαι τε αὐτοὺς μεταξύ κου μάλιστα αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῆς Ὀάσιος, ἄριστον αἱρεομένοισι αὐτοῖσι ἐπιπνεῦσαι νότον μέγαν τε καὶ ἐξαίσιον, φορέοντα δὲ θῖνας τῆς ψάμμου καταχῶσαι σφέας, καὶ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ ἀφανισθῆναι.

     epeidḕ ek tês Oásios taútēs iénai dià tês psámmou epì sphéas, genésthai te autoùs metaxú kou málista autôn te kaì tês Oásios, áriston haireoménoisi autoîsi epipneûsai nóton mégan te kaì exaísion, phoréonta dè thînas tês psámmou katakhôsai sphéas, kaì trópōi toioútōi aphanisthênai.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Third declension of ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς; τῆς Ὀᾰ́σεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς hē Óăsĭs	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σει tṑ Oắsei	αἱ Ὀᾰ́σεις hai Oắseis
Genitive	τῆς Ὀᾰ́σεως tês Oắseōs	τοῖν Ὀᾰσέοιν toîn Oăséoin	τῶν Ὀᾰ́σεων tôn Oắseōn
Dative	τῇ Ὀᾰ́σει têi Oắsei	τοῖν Ὀᾰσέοιν toîn Oăséoin	ταῖς Ὀᾰ́σεσῐ / Ὀᾰ́σεσῐν taîs Oắsesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν Ὄᾰσῐν tḕn Óăsĭn	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σει tṑ Oắsei	τᾱ̀ς Ὀᾰ́σεις tā̀s Oắseis
Vocative	Ὄᾰσῐ Óăsĭ	Ὀᾰ́σει Oắsei	Ὀᾰ́σεις Oắseis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς; τῆς Ὀᾰ́σῐος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Ὄᾰσῐς hē Óăsĭs	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σῐε tṑ Oắsĭe	αἱ Ὀᾰ́σῐες hai Oắsĭes
Genitive	τῆς Ὀᾰ́σῐος tês Oắsĭos	τοῖν Ὀᾰσῐ́οιν toîn Oăsĭ́oin	τῶν Ὀᾰσῐ́ων tôn Oăsĭ́ōn
Dative	τῇ Ὀᾰ́σῑ têi Oắsī	τοῖν Ὀᾰσῐ́οιν toîn Oăsĭ́oin	ταῖς Ὀᾰ́σῐσῐ / Ὀᾰ́σῐσῐν taîs Oắsĭsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν Ὄᾰσῐν tḕn Óăsĭn	τὼ Ὀᾰ́σῐε tṑ Oắsĭe	τᾱ̀ς Ὀᾰ́σῑς / Ὀᾰ́σῐᾰς tā̀s Oắsīs / Oắsĭăs
Vocative	Ὄᾰσῐ Óăsĭ	Ὀᾰ́σῐε Oắsĭe	Ὀᾰ́σῐες Oắsĭes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Αὐᾰσῑ́της (Auăsī́tēs)
• Αὐᾰσῖτῐς (Auăsîtĭs)
• Ὀᾰσῖται (Oăsîtai)
• Ὀασῐτῐκός (Oasĭtĭkós)

Descendants

• → Armenian: ովասիս (ovasis) (learned)
• → Latin: Oasis (see there for further descendants)

References

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