αἰπύς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Furnée connects it with ἐξαίφνης (exaíphnēs, “on a sudden”) and ἄφνω (áphnō, “suddenly”). Probably of Pre-Greek origin. Compare αἰπός (aipós), αἰπεινός (aipeinós).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ai̯.pýs/ → /ɛˈpys/ → /eˈpis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ai̯.pýs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɛˈpys/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɛˈpys/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈpys/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈpis/

Adjective

αἰπῠ́ς • (aipús) m (feminine αἰπεῖᾰ, neuter αἰπύ); first/third declension (Epic, poetic)

1. steep, sheer
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.293:

     ἔστι δέ τις λισσὴ αἰπεῖά τε εἰς ἅλα πέτρη
     ἐσχατιῇ Γόρτῡνος ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ·

     ésti dé tis lissḕ aipeîá te eis hála pétrē
     eskhatiêi Górtūnos en ēeroeidéi póntōi;

     There is a certain smooth rock, sheer into the seawater,
     on the edge of Gortyn in the misty sea:

2. (of cities) set on a steep slope, on the top of a hill: high, lofty
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.70–71:

     εἰς ὅ κ’ Ἀχαιοὶ
     Ῑ̓̓λιον αἰπὺ ἕλοιεν Ἀθηναίης διὰ βουλᾱ́ς.

     eis hó k’ Akhaioì
     Īlion aipù héloien Athēnaíēs dià boulā́s.

     until the Achaeans
     take lofty Ilium through the counsels of Athena.

3. (figurative) sheer, utter
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.11–12:

     ἔνθ’ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες, ὅσοι φύγον αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον,
     οἴκοι ἔσαν, πόλεμόν τε πεφευγότες ἠδὲ θάλασσαν·

     énth’ álloi mèn pántes, hósoi phúgon aipùn ólethron,
     oíkoi ésan, pólemón te pepheugótes ēdè thálassan;

     Then all the others, who had fled sheer destruction,
     were at home, and had escaped war and the sea.

Inflection

First and third declension of αἰπῠ́ς; αἰπεῖᾰ; αἰπῠ́ (Epic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		αἰπῠ́ς aipús	αἰπεῖᾰ aipeîa	αἰπῠ́ aipú		αἰπέε aipée	αἰπείᾱ aipeíā	αἰπέε aipée		αἰπέες aipées	αἰπεῖαι aipeîai	αἰπέᾰ aipéa
Genitive		αἰπέος aipéos	αἰπείης aipeíēs	αἰπέος aipéos		αἰπέοιῐν aipéoiin	αἰπείαιν / αἰπείαιῐν / αἰπείῃῐν aipeíai(i)n / aipeíēiin	αἰπέοιῐν aipéoiin		αἰπέων aipéōn	αἰπειᾱ́ων / αἰπειέ͜ων / αἰπειῶν aipeiā́ōn / aipeié͜ōn / aipeiôn	αἰπέων aipéōn
Dative		αἰπεῖ aipeî	αἰπείῃ aipeíēi	αἰπεῖ aipeî		αἰπέοιῐν aipéoiin	αἰπείαιν / αἰπείαιῐν / αἰπείῃῐν aipeíai(i)n / aipeíēiin	αἰπέοιῐν aipéoiin		αἰπέεσσῐ / αἰπέεσσῐν / αἰπέεσῐ / αἰπέεσῐν / αἰπέσῐ / αἰπέσῐν aipéessi(n) / aipéesi(n) / aipési(n)	αἰπείῃσῐ / αἰπείῃσῐν / αἰπείῃς / αἰπείαις aipeíēisi(n) / aipeíēis / aipeíais	αἰπέεσσῐ / αἰπέεσσῐν / αἰπέεσῐ / αἰπέεσῐν / αἰπέσῐ / αἰπέσῐν aipéessi(n) / aipéesi(n) / aipési(n)
Accusative		αἰπῠ́ν aipún	αἰπεῖᾰν aipeîan	αἰπῠ́ aipú		αἰπέε aipée	αἰπείᾱ aipeíā	αἰπέε aipée		αἰπέᾰς aipéas	αἰπείᾱς aipeíās	αἰπέᾰ aipéa
Vocative		αἰπῠ́ aipú	αἰπεῖᾰ aipeîa	αἰπῠ́ aipú		αἰπέε aipée	αἰπείᾱ aipeíā	αἰπέε aipée		αἰπέες aipées	αἰπεῖαι aipeîai	αἰπέᾰ aipéa
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		αἰπέως aipéōs				αἰπῠ́τερος aipúteros				αἰπῠ́τᾰτος aipútatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Synonyms

• (steep, on a slope): αἰπεινός (aipeinós), αἰπός (aipós)

References

• “αἰπύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “αἰπύς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “αἰπύς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• αἰπύς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• αἰπύς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• αἰπύς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “αἰπύς”, 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.
  • beetling idem, page 69.
  • frowning idem, page 347.
  • high idem, page 399.
  • precipitous idem, page 634.
  • sheer idem, page 764.
  • steep idem, page 815.
• 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