ἀλκυών
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unknown, apparently from Pre-Greek. The variant ᾰ̔λκῠών (hălkŭṓn) arose by folk etymology as ᾰ̔́λς (hắls, “salt”) + κῠέω (kŭéō, “to conceive”).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /al.ky.ɔ̌ːn/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /al.kyˈon/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /al.cyˈon/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /al.cyˈon/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /al.ciˈon/
Noun
ᾰ̓λκῠών • (ălkŭṓn) f (genitive ᾰ̓λκῠόνος); third declension
- kingfisher; halcyon
- [5th c. CE, Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:
- ἀλκυών· εἶδος ὀρνέου
- alkuṓn; eîdos ornéou
- alkuṓn: a species of bird]
- (Laconian) a divinity
- [5th c. CE, Hesychius of Alexandria, Γλώσσαι, Α.3101:
- ἀλκυών· […] καὶ δαίμων τις ⟨παρὰ Λάκωσι⟩
- alkuṓn; […] kaì daímōn tis ⟨parà Lákōsi⟩
- alkuṓn: […] and a divinity among the Laconians]
Declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ἡ ᾰ̓λκῠών hē ălkŭṓn |
τὼ ᾰ̓λκῠόνε tṑ ălkŭóne |
αἱ ᾰ̓λκῠόνες hai ălkŭónes | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τῆς ᾰ̓λκῠόνος tês ălkŭónos |
τοῖν ᾰ̓λκῠόνοιν toîn ălkŭónoin |
τῶν ᾰ̓λκῠόνων tôn ălkŭónōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῇ ᾰ̓λκῠόνῐ tēî ălkŭónĭ |
τοῖν ᾰ̓λκῠόνοιν toîn ălkŭónoin |
ταῖς ᾰ̓λκῠόσῐ / ᾰ̓λκῠόσῐν taîs ălkŭósĭ(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὴν ᾰ̓λκῠόνᾰ tḕn ălkŭónă |
τὼ ᾰ̓λκῠόνε tṑ ălkŭóne |
τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓λκῠόνᾰς tā̀s ălkŭónăs | ||||||||||
| Vocative | ᾰ̓λκῠών ălkŭṓn |
ᾰ̓λκῠόνε ălkŭóne |
ᾰ̓λκῠόνες ălkŭónes | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- ᾰ̓λκῠόνῐον (ălkŭónĭon)
- ᾰ̓λκῠόνῐος (ălkŭónĭos)
- ᾰ̓λκῠονῐ́ς (ălkŭonĭ́s)
- Ᾰ̓λκῠονῐ̀ς θᾰ́λᾰττᾰ (Ălkŭonĭ̀s thắlăttă)
- ᾰ̓λκῠονῖτῐς (ălkŭonîtĭs)
Descendants
- → Classical Syriac: ܐܠܩܐܘܢ (/ʾlqʾwn/)
- → Latin: alcēdō, halcyōn (see there for further descendants)
- → Old Armenian: աղկիոն (ałkion), աղկիովն (ałkiovn)
- → Old Georgian: ალკჳონი (alḳwioni)
- Georgian: ალკუნი (alḳuni)
- → Old East Slavic: алкионъ (alkionŭ)
Further reading
- “ἀλκυών”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ἀλκυών”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “ἀλκυών”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- ἀλκυών in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- ἀλκυών in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- ἀλκυών in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
- “ἀλκυών”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- king-fisher idem, page 470.