ἀσφάραγος

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /as.pʰá.ra.ɡos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /asˈpʰa.ra.ɡos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /asˈɸa.ra.ɣos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /asˈfa.ra.ɣos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /asˈfa.ra.ɣos/

Etymology 1

Furnée connects the word with φάραγξ (pháranx, “gorge, ravine”) and μάραγοι (máragoi, “overhanging places”), suggesting a Pre-Greek origin.^[1]

Alternative forms

σφάραγγος (sphárangos)

Noun

ἀσφάρᾰγος • (asphárăgos) m (genitive ἀσφᾰράγου); second declension

(anatomy) throat, gullet

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος; τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος ho asphắrăgos	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	οἱ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι hoi asphắrăgoi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου toû asphărắgou	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τῶν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γων tôn asphărắgōn
Dative	τῷ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γῳ tōî asphărắgōi	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τοῖς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοις toîs asphărắgois
Accusative	τὸν ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγον tòn asphắrăgon	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	τοὺς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γους toùs asphărắgous
Vocative	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγε asphắrăge	ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω asphărắgō	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι asphắrăgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Etymology 2

Being the name of a cultivated plant, yet still revealing its general meaning as “shoots” of plants, a borrowing from Old Persian *spargah as a descendant from widely attested Proto-Iranian *spr̥Hgah (“sprout”) can be maintained.

Beekes could, of course, declare the term of Pre-Greek origin, like its homonym, due to the presence of the variation “π/φ”—which is paralleled in Iranian in this environment—, rejecting an Indo-Europeanist connection to Proto-Indo-European *(s)pregʰ- (“to jerk, to scatter”) (whence σφαραγέομαι (spharagéomai, “to burst with a noise, teem”), disputed, see also Latin spargere (“to scatter”)).^[2]

Alternative forms

ἀσπάραγος (aspáragos)

Noun

ἀσφάρᾰγος • (asphárăgos) m (genitive ἀσφᾰράγου); second declension

asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Synonym: ἀκᾰνθῐ́ᾱς (akănthĭ́ās)
(botany) shoots of other plants

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος; τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγος ho asphắrăgos	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	οἱ ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι hoi asphắrăgoi
Genitive	τοῦ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γου toû asphărắgou	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τῶν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γων tôn asphărắgōn
Dative	τῷ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γῳ tōî asphărắgōi	τοῖν ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοιν toîn asphărắgoin	τοῖς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γοις toîs asphărắgois
Accusative	τὸν ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγον tòn asphắrăgon	τὼ ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω tṑ asphărắgō	τοὺς ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γους toùs asphărắgous
Vocative	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγε asphắrăge	ἀσφᾰρᾰ́γω asphărắgō	ἀσφᾰ́ρᾰγοι asphắrăgoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀσφαραγία (aspharagía)
ἀσφαραγωνία (aspharagōnía)

Descendants

Greek: σπαράγγι (sparángi)
- → Romanian: sparanghel
→ Arabic: أَسْفَرَاج (ʔasfarāj), أَسْفَارَاج (ʔasfārāj), أَسْفَارَنْج (ʔasfāranj), أَسْفَرَاغ (ʔasfarāḡ) (see there for further descendants)
→ Latin: asparagus (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἀσφάραγος 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 159
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἀσφάραγος 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 159-60

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Noun

Inflection

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Noun

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading