γέλγις

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

γελγῑ́ς (gelgī́s) — Koine
γέργῑς (gérgīs) — Byzantine

Etymology

Frequently assumed to be a reduplicated formation, with Beekes concluding it to be Pre-Greek,^[1] and seemingly related to ᾰ̓́γλῑς (ắglīs, “clove of garlic”) and γᾰγγλῐ́ον (gănglĭ́on).

Kroonen (2012) suggests an ultimate Akkadian etymology of the word, comparing it to Arabic جَدِيلَة (jadīla, “braid”). He assumes a metathesis from a by-form *γέγλῑς (*géglīs), from which he reconstructs *γέδλῑς (*gédlīs), which he compares to Akkadian 𒄀𒀉𒇻 (/⁠gidlu⁠/, “string of garlic or onions”).^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡel.ɡǐːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡelˈɡis/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ʝelˈʝis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ʝelˈʝis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ʝelˈʝis/

Noun

γέλγῑς • (gélgīs) f (genitive γέλγῑθος or γέλγῑδος or γέλγεως); third declension

head of garlic
(in the plural) the cloves in a head of garlic

Declension

Third declension of ἡ γέλγῑς; τῆς γέλγῑθος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέλγῑς hē gélgīs	τὼ γέλγῑθε tṑ gélgīthe	αἱ γέλγῑθες hai gélgīthes
Genitive	τῆς γέλγῑθος tês gélgīthos	τοῖν γελγῑ́θοιν toîn gelgī́thoin	τῶν γελγῑ́θων tôn gelgī́thōn
Dative	τῇ γέλγῑθῐ tēî gélgīthĭ	τοῖν γελγῑ́θοιν toîn gelgī́thoin	ταῖς γέλγῑσῐ / γέλγῑσῐν taîs gélgīsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν γέλγῑθᾰ tḕn gélgīthă	τὼ γέλγῑθε tṑ gélgīthe	τᾱ̀ς γέλγῑθᾰς tā̀s gélgīthăs
Vocative	γέλγῑς gélgīs	γέλγῑθε gélgīthe	γέλγῑθες gélgīthes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster -θς (-ths).

Third declension of ἡ γέλγῑς; τῆς γέλγῑδος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέλγῑς hē gélgīs	τὼ γέλγῑδε tṑ gélgīde	αἱ γέλγῑδες hai gélgīdes
Genitive	τῆς γέλγῑδος tês gélgīdos	τοῖν γελγῑ́δοιν toîn gelgī́doin	τῶν γελγῑ́δων tôn gelgī́dōn
Dative	τῇ γέλγῑδῐ tēî gélgīdĭ	τοῖν γελγῑ́δοιν toîn gelgī́doin	ταῖς γέλγῑσῐ / γέλγῑσῐν taîs gélgīsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν γέλγῑδᾰ tḕn gélgīdă	τὼ γέλγῑδε tṑ gélgīde	τᾱ̀ς γέλγῑδᾰς tā̀s gélgīdăs
Vocative	γέλγῑς gélgīs	γέλγῑδε gélgīde	γέλγῑδες gélgīdes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster -δς (-ds).

Third declension of ἡ γέλγῑς; τῆς γέλγεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέλγῑς hē gélgīs	τὼ γέλγει tṑ gélgei	αἱ γέλγεις hai gélgeis
Genitive	τῆς γέλγεως tês gélgeōs	τοῖν γελγέοιν toîn gelgéoin	τῶν γέλγεων tôn gélgeōn
Dative	τῇ γέλγει tēî gélgei	τοῖν γελγέοιν toîn gelgéoin	ταῖς γέλγεσῐ / γέλγεσῐν taîs gélgesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν γέλγῐν tḕn gélgĭn	τὼ γέλγει tṑ gélgei	τᾱ̀ς γέλγεις tā̀s gélgeis
Vocative	γέλγῐ gélgĭ	γέλγει gélgei	γέλγεις gélgeis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

ᾰ̓́γλῑς (ắglīs)

References

^ 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
^ Kroonen, Guus (2012), “An Akkadian loanword in Pre-Greek: on the etymology of Greek ἄγλις and γέλγις 'garlic'”, in The Journal of Indo-European Studies‎^[1], volume 40, pages 289-299