-ις

See also: ΙΣ, ισ΄, ΙΣ΄, -ίς, and ἴς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • -ῐ́ς (-ĭ́s)oxytone form
  • -ῐ̈ς (-ĭ̈s), -ῐ̈́ς (-ĭ̈́s)after a vowel if no diphthong is formed
  • -τῐς (-tĭs), -τῐ́ς (-tĭ́s)extended form

Etymology

    Uncertain, but compare Latin -idus (forming adjectives). Furnée and Beekes also consider it a common Pre-Greek suffix, related to -ιτ- (-it-), -ινδ- (-ind-) and -ινθ- (-inth-).

    (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

    Pronunciation

     

    Suffix

    -ῐς • (-ĭsf (genitive -ῐδος); third declension

    1. Forms feminine nouns, or feminine forms of adjectives (often accented on the ultima)
      Ἕλλην (Héllēn, Greek man) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Ἑλληνίς (Hellēnís, Greek woman)
      Ἰλλυριός (Illuriós, Illyrian man) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Ἰλλυρίς (Illurís, Illyrian woman)
      Τιτάν (Titán, Titan) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Τιτανίς (Titanís, Titanid)
    2. Suffix added to a father's name to form a feminine patronymic: daughter of
      Περσεύς (Perseús, Perseus) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Περσηΐς (Persēḯs), literally sprung of Perseus
      Πέρσης (Pérsēs, Perses) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Περσηΐς (Persēḯs), literally sprung of Perses
      Νηρεύς (Nēreús, Nereus) + ‎-ις (-is) → ‎Νηρηΐς (Nērēḯs, Nereid), literally sprung of Nereus

    Declension

    Derived terms

    Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -ις

    Descendants

    • Greek: -ίδα (-ída)
    • Latin: -is

    See also

    References

    • Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920), “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 843.b.2
    • Furnée, Edzard Johan (1972), Die wichtigsten konsonantischen Erscheinungen des Vorgriechischen (Janua linguarum. Series practica; 150) (in German), The Hague and Paris: Mouton, page 324
    • Beekes, Robert S. P. (2014), “70 -ῑδ-”, in Stefan Norbruis, editor, Pre-Greek: Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, § 2.3 The Suffixes, page 36