σίμβλος

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 12 April 2024

Alternative forms

• σίμβλον (símblon) — Koine
• σίμβλαι f pl (símblai) — Hesychius

Etymology

Unclear, perhaps a Pre-Greek word.

In Koine Greek, the word also occurs as a neuter σίμβλον (símblon). In addition, Hesychius lists a feminine plural form σίμβλαι (símblai).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sím.blos/ → /ˈsim.blos/ → /ˈsim.blos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sím.blos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsim.blos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsim.blos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsim.blos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsim.blos/

Noun

σῐ́μβλος • (símblos) m (genitive σῐ́μβλου); second declension

1. beehive, hive

   Synonyms: κυψέλη (kupsélē), σμῆνος (smênos)

   • 5th century CE, Hesychius Alexandreus, Συναγωγὴ Πασῶν Λέξεων κατὰ Στοιχεῖον Σ:

     σίμβλοι· τὰ σμήνη, τὰ ἀγγεῖα τὰ τῶν μελισσῶν, ἐν οἷς τὰ κηρία συνάγεται.

     símbloi; tà smḗnē, tà angeîa tà tôn melissôn, en hoîs tà kēría sunágetai.

     símbloi: beehives, vessels for bees, in which honeycombs are gathered.

2. (figuratively) store, hoard

   Synonym: θησαυρός (thēsaurós)

   • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 241:

     σίμβλον δέ φασι χρημάτων ἔχειν ἅπαντες αὐτόν.

     símblon dé phasi khrēmátōn ékhein hápantes autón.

     They all say about him, that he has a hoard of money.

   • 5th century CE, Hesychius Alexandreus, Συναγωγὴ Πασῶν Λέξεων κατὰ Στοιχεῖον Σ:

     σίμβλοι· [...] Ἀττικοὶ καὶ τὸν θησαυρόν

     símbloi; [...] Attikoì kaì tòn thēsaurón

     símbloi: [...] also (according to Attic speakers): treasury

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σῐ́μβλος; τοῦ σῐ́μβλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σῐ́μβλος ho símblos	οἱ σῐ́μβλοι hoi símbloi
Genitive	τοῦ σῐ́μβλου toû símblou	τῶν σῐ́μβλων tôn símblōn
Dative	τῷ σῐ́μβλῳ tôi símblōi	τοῖς σῐ́μβλοις toîs símblois
Accusative	τὸν σῐ́μβλον tòn símblon	τοὺς σῐ́μβλους toùs símblous
Vocative	σῐ́μβλε símble	σῐ́μβλοι símbloi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “σίμβλος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “σίμβλος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• σίμβλος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Pape, Wilhelm, Benseler, Gustav Eduard (1884) “σίμβλος”, in Wörterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen (in German), 3rd edition, Braunschweig: Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn
• “σίμβλος”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011