ἔλπος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἔλφος (élphos) — Cypriot

Etymology

Unknown. The word has been proposed to descend from Proto-Indo-European *selp- (“fat, oil”), with cognates such as Sanskrit सर्पिस् (sarpis) and Old English sealf (English salve). However, the lack of the expected rough breathing and the alternation between voiced and voiceless aspirate (seen in the dialectal form ἔλφος (élphos)) suggest that it might be from a Pre-Greek source. Some have argued that the word is related to ὄλπη (ólpē, “oil flask”), which may or may not affect the proposed Proto-Indo-European origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /él.pos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈel.pos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈel.pos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈel.pos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈel.pos/

Noun

ἔλπος • (élpos)

(hapax) Hesychius gives the definition as: ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil”), στέαρ (stéar, “fat”), εὐθηνία (euthēnía, “abundance”)

References

“ἔλπος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἔλπος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἔλπος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 415-416
Hesychius' Lexicon: ε

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