Σήρ

See also: σήρ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Related to σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”) but otherwise uncertain. Possibly ultimately from Old Chinese 絲 (*sə, “silk”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ːr/ → /sir/ → /sir/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sɛ̌ːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /se̝r/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sir/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sir/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sir/

Noun

Σήρ • (Sḗr) m (genitive Σηρός); third declension

1. (historical, rare in the singular) Serican, one of the Seres, the people from whom silk was obtained, the North Chinese as known to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 11.11.1
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 15.1.34
   • 100 CE – 300 CE, Dionysius Periegetes, Periegesis 752
   • Ctes., Fr. 86

Declension

Third declension of ὁ Σήρ; τοῦ Σηρός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Σήρ ho Sḗr	τὼ Σῆρε tṑ Sêre	οἱ Σῆρες hoi Sêres
Genitive	τοῦ Σηρός toû Sērós	τοῖν Σηροῖν toîn Sēroîn	τῶν Σηρῶν tôn Sērôn
Dative	τῷ Σηρῐ́ tôi Sērí	τοῖν Σηροῖν toîn Sēroîn	τοῖς Σηρσῐ́ / Σηρσῐ́ν toîs Sērsí(n)
Accusative	τὸν Σῆρᾰ tòn Sêra	τὼ Σῆρε tṑ Sêre	τοὺς Σῆρᾰς toùs Sêras
Vocative	Σήρ Sḗr	Σῆρε Sêre	Σῆρες Sêres
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Coordinate terms

• Σῖναι (Sînai) (southern Chinese as known to the ancient Greeks and Romans)

Derived terms

• Σηρῐκός (Sērikós)

 

Descendants

• → Latin: Sēres
  • English: Seres
  • Portuguese: Seres
  • Spanish: Seres

References

• “Σήρ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Monchi-Zadeh, Daoud (1975) “Iranische Miszellen”, in Monumentum H. S. Nyberg (Acta Iranica; 5), Leiden: E.J. Brill, →ISBN, pages 69–72