Σφίγξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Σφῑ́ξ (Sphī́x) — Hesychian
Φῑ́ξ (Phī́x) — Boeotian

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (a Pre-Greek word) or from Egyptian

(šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) or

(šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”). Beekes assumes a general substrate origin, and suspects the traditional connection and resemblance to σφίγγω (sphíngō) to be driven by folk etymology.^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spʰíŋks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈspʰiŋks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsɸiŋks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsfiŋks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsfiŋks/

Proper noun

Σφῐ́γξ • (Sphĭ́nx) f (genitive Σφῐγγός); third declension

Sphinx, sphinx

Declension

Third declension of ἡ Σφῐ́γξ; τῆς Σφῐγγός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Σφῐ́γξ hē Sphĭ́nx	τὼ Σφῐ́γγε tṑ Sphĭ́nge	αἱ Σφῐ́γγες hai Sphĭ́nges
Genitive	τῆς Σφῐγγός tês Sphĭngós	τοῖν Σφῐγγοῖν toîn Sphĭngoîn	τῶν Σφῐγγῶν tôn Sphĭngôn
Dative	τῇ Σφῐγγῐ́ tēî Sphĭngĭ́	τοῖν Σφῐγγοῖν toîn Sphĭngoîn	ταῖς Σφῐγξῐ́ / Σφῐγξῐ́ν taîs Sphĭnxĭ́(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σφῐ́γγᾰ tḕn Sphĭ́ngă	τὼ Σφῐ́γγε tṑ Sphĭ́nge	τᾱ̀ς Σφῐ́γγᾰς tā̀s Sphĭ́ngăs
Vocative	Σφῐ́γξ Sphĭ́nx	Σφῐ́γγε Sphĭ́nge	Σφῐ́γγες Sphĭ́nges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: Σφιγξ (Sfinx), Σφίγγα (Sfínga)
→ Bulgarian: Сфинкс (Sfinks)
→ Catalan: Esfinx
→ Czech: Sfinga
→ Danish: Sfinks
→ Dutch: Sfinx
→ English: Sphinx
→ Estonian: Sphinx
→ Finnish: Sfinksi
→ French: (unadapted borrowing) Sphinx
→ German: Sphinx
→ Hebrew: ספינקס (Sfinqs)
→ Hungarian: Szfinx
→ Indonesian: Sphinx
→ Italian: Sfinge, sfinge
→ Japanese: スフィンクス (Sufinkusu)
→ Korean: 스핑크스 (seupingkeuseu)
→ Latin: Sphinx
→ Lithuanian: Sfinksas
→ Manx: Sphinx
→ Middle French: Sphinge
- French: Sphinge
→ Norwegian: Sfinks
→ Ossetian: Сфинкс (Sfinks) (Sfinks)
→ Polish: Sfinks
→ Portuguese: Esfinge
→ Romanian: Sfinx
→ Russian: Сфинкс (Sfinks)
→ Serbo-Croatian: Сфинга, Sfinga
→ Sicilian: svince
→ Spanish: Esfinge
→ Swedish: Sfinx
→ Thai: สฟิงซ์ (sà-fíng)
→ Ukrainian: Сфінкс (Sfinks)
→ Yiddish: ספֿינקס (sfinks)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “Σφίγξ, -ιγγός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1431