οἰωνός

See also: οιωνός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Explanation debated. Because of the comparable formation in υἱωνός (huiōnós, “grandson”) from υἱός (huiós, “son”), it is probably best derived from a nominal basis. Therefore, it can be derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis (“bird”), like Latin avis (“bird”), Sanskrit वि (vi, “bird”), Avestan 𐬬𐬍𐬱 (vīš, “bird”) and also ἀετός (aetós, “eagle”). The initial ὀ- has been explained as a case of vowel assimilation since Schmidt, but this is unnecessary: one may assume an o-grade, as does Beekes, who departs from a nominative *h₂ow-i-ō(n) that was subsequently thematicized. By others, it has been combined with οἶμα (oîma, “spring, rush, swoop”), οἶστρος (oîstros, “gadfly; zeal”), οἰστός (oistós, “endurable”) and connected with the root Proto-Indo-European *h₁eys- (“to propel”), but this is doubtful. The connection with ᾠόν (ōión, “egg”) by Schmeja was defended by Peters.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /oi̯.ɔː.nós/ → /y.oˈnos/ → /i.oˈnos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /oi̯.ɔː.nós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /y.oˈnos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /y.oˈnos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /y.oˈnos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /i.oˈnos/

Noun

οἰωνός • (oiōnós) m (genitive οἰωνοῦ); second declension

1. large bird, bird of prey
2. bird used in augury/ornithomancy
3. omen, token, presage

Declension

Second declension of ὁ οἰωνός; τοῦ οἰωνοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ οἰωνός ho oiōnós	τὼ οἰωνώ tṑ oiōnṓ	οἱ οἰωνοί hoi oiōnoí
Genitive	τοῦ οἰωνοῦ toû oiōnoû	τοῖν οἰωνοῖν toîn oiōnoîn	τῶν οἰωνῶν tôn oiōnôn
Dative	τῷ οἰωνῷ tôi oiōnôi	τοῖν οἰωνοῖν toîn oiōnoîn	τοῖς οἰωνοῖς toîs oiōnoîs
Accusative	τὸν οἰωνόν tòn oiōnón	τὼ οἰωνώ tṑ oiōnṓ	τοὺς οἰωνούς toùs oiōnoús
Vocative	οἰωνέ oiōné	οἰωνώ oiōnṓ	οἰωνοί oiōnoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• οἰωνίζομαι (oiōnízomai)
• οἰώνισις (oiṓnisis)
• οἰώνισμα (oiṓnisma)
• οἰωνισμός (oiōnismós)
• οἰωνιστήριον (oiōnistḗrion)
• οἰωνιστής (oiōnistḗs)
• οἰωνιστικός (oiōnistikós)
• οἰωνόβρωτος (oiōnóbrōtos)
• οἰωνοθέτης (oiōnothétēs)
• οἰωνόθροος (oiōnóthroos)
• οἰωνοκτόνος (oiōnoktónos)
• οἰωνόμαντις (oiōnómantis)
• οἰωνόμικτος (oiōnómiktos)
• οἰωνοπόλος (oiōnopólos)
• οἰωνοσκόπος (oiōnoskópos)
• οἰωνοτροφεύς (oiōnotropheús)

 

Descendants

• Greek: οιωνός (oionós)

Further reading

• “οἰωνός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “οἰωνός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “οἰωνός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• οἰωνός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• οἰωνός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “οἰωνός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • augury idem, page 52.
  • bird idem, page 79.
  • omen idem, page 572.
  • sign idem, page 774.
• 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