σῦφαρ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Traditionally compared with Latin sūber (“cork oak”), in spite of the semantic difficulties. If correct, they are probably borrowings from a common source, perhaps substrate. According to Pisani, it is related to ὕφεαρ (húphear, “mistletoe”), but formally and semantically this is hardly possible. Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin of the word. This is further evidenced by the suffix -αρ (-ar), which can also be seen in the words κύδαρ (kúdar), σκίναρ (skínar), and ἴκταρ (íktar). Note that it is indeclinable as well.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sŷː.pʰar/ → /ˈsy.ɸar/ → /ˈsi.far/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sŷː.pʰar/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.pʰar/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.ɸar/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsy.far/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.far/

Noun

σῦφαρ • (sûphar) n (indeclinable)

1. piece of old or wrinkled skin
2. wrinkled, decrepit person
3. slough of a serpent

   Synonyms: θώραξ (thṓrax), λεβηρίς (lebērís)

4. skim of milk, scum
5. wrinkled fig

Further reading

• “σῦφαρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σῦφαρ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “sūber, -ris”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 595