ἑλεσπίς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Of unknown origin. The traditional derivation from an earlier *ἑλε(σ)-σπίς (*hele(s)-spís), from ἕλος (hélos, “swamp”) + a putative root noun *σπίς (*spís) supposedly also found as a component in σπίδιος (spídios, “wide”), ἀσπιδής (aspidḗs, “wide”), and ἀσπίς (aspís, “shield”), is viewed with skepticism by Beekes. He instead suspects the second component to be that found also in πῖδαξ (pîdax, “source, geyser”), based on the accusative plural form ἑλεσπῐ́δας (helespĭ́das).^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /he.les.pís/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)e.lesˈpis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /e.lesˈpis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /e.lesˈpis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /e.lesˈpis/

Noun

ἑλεσπῐ́ς • (helespĭ́s) f (genitive ἑλεσπίδος); third declension

(possibly) marshland, swampland

Declension

Third declension of ἡ ἑλεσπίς; τῆς ἑλεσπίδος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἑλεσπίς hē helespís	τὼ ἑλεσπίδε tṑ helespíde	αἱ ἑλεσπίδες hai helespídes
Genitive	τῆς ἑλεσπίδος tês helespídos	τοῖν ἑλεσπίδοιν toîn helespídoin	τῶν ἑλεσπίδων tôn helespídōn
Dative	τῇ ἑλεσπίδῐ tēî helespídĭ	τοῖν ἑλεσπίδοιν toîn helespídoin	ταῖς ἑλεσπίσῐ / ἑλεσπίσῐν taîs helespísĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ἑλεσπίδᾰ tḕn helespídă	τὼ ἑλεσπίδε tṑ helespíde	τᾱ̀ς ἑλεσπίδᾰς tā̀s helespídăs
Vocative	ἑλεσπίς helespís	ἑλεσπίδε helespíde	ἑλεσπίδες helespídes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster -δς (-ds).

Descendants

⇒? Greek: λάσπη (láspi)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “έλεσπίδας”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 407