ἐλέφας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unclear. Compare Hittite 𒆷𒄴𒉺𒀸 (laḫpaš, “ivory”).

Possibly related to Proto-Berber *eḷu, Egyptian ꜣbw

E26

(reconstructed as /ˈʀuːbaw/) or Sanskrit इभ (íbha).

Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀩𐀞 (e-re-pa).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.lé.pʰaːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eˈle.pʰas/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈle.ɸas/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈle.fas/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈle.fas/

Noun

ἐλέφᾱς • (eléphās) m (genitive ἐλέφαντος); third declension

Inflection

Lua error: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Derived terms

Ἐλεφαντίνη (Elephantínē)
ἐλεφᾰντομᾰχῐ́ᾱ (elephantomakhíā)
ἐλεφᾰντᾰ́ρχης (elephantárkhēs)

Descendants

Greek: ελέφας (eléfas), ελέφαντας (eléfantas)
→ Old Church Slavonic: е҆лефа́нтъ, е҆лефа́нтесъ
- → Old Ruthenian: елефа́нтъ (elefánt)
- → Russian: элефа́нт (elefánt) (archaic)
→ Latin: elephās (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

“ἐλέφας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἐλέφας”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἐλέφας”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἐλέφας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἐλέφας in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἐλέφας in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 265
olifantus 1
olifantus 2

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