ὕστριξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ὑστρίγγων (hustríngōn)

Etymology

Often analysed as ὗς (hûs, “swine”) + θρίξ (thríx, “hair”), or alternatively with the first element being the base of ῠ̔́στερος (hŭ́steros, “latter”). However, Beekes cites the nasalization seen in the variant genitive plural form ὑστρίγγων (hustríngōn) – as if from ὕστριγξ (hústrinx) – as proof of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hýs.triks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)ys.triks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈys.triks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈys.triks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈis.triks/

Noun

ῠ̔́στρῐξ • (hŭ́strĭx) m or f (genitive ῠ̔́στρῐχος); third declension

porcupine (Hystrix cristata)
something obtained from pigs, probably bristles
instrument of punishment, probably cat-o'-nine-tails

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ ῠ̔́στρῐξ; τοῦ ῠ̔́στρῐχος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ῠ̔́στρῐξ ho hŭ́strĭx	τὼ ῠ̔́στρῐχε tṑ hŭ́strĭkhe	οἱ ῠ̔́στρῐχες hoi hŭ́strĭkhes
Genitive	τοῦ ῠ̔́στρῐχος toû hŭ́strĭkhos	τοῖν ῠ̔στρῐ́χοιν toîn hŭstrĭ́khoin	τῶν ῠ̔στρῐ́χων tôn hŭstrĭ́khōn
Dative	τῷ ῠ̔́στρῐχῐ tôi hŭ́strĭkhĭ	τοῖν ῠ̔στρῐ́χοιν toîn hŭstrĭ́khoin	τοῖς ῠ̔́στρῐξῐ / ῠ̔́στρῐξῐν toîs hŭ́strĭxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ῠ̔́στρῐχᾰ tòn hŭ́strĭkhă	τὼ ῠ̔́στρῐχε tṑ hŭ́strĭkhe	τοὺς ῠ̔́στρῐχᾰς toùs hŭ́strĭkhăs
Vocative	ῠ̔́στρῐξ hŭ́strĭx	ῠ̔́στρῐχε hŭ́strĭkhe	ῠ̔́στρῐχες hŭ́strĭkhes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ὑστριχίς (hustrikhís)

Descendants

Latin: hystrix
- Italian: istrice
- Translingual: Hystrix

References

“ὕστριξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ὕστριξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- porcupine idem, page 627.
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