σκορπίος

See also: σκορπιός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Sometimes suggested to be from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”),^[1] but Beekes notes that it is more likely a Pre-Greek loanword instead, with a pre-form along the lines of *karaᵐp-, and possibly related to κᾱ́ρᾰβος (kā́răbos, “beetle, crustacean”), κερᾰ́μβῠξ (kerắmbŭx, “longhorn beetle”), κηρᾰφῐ́ς (kērăphĭ́s, “a kind of locust”).^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /skor.pí.os/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /skorˈpi.os/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /skorˈpi.os/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /skorˈpi.os/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /skorˈpi.os/

Noun

σκορπῐ́ος • (skorpĭ́os) m (genitive σκορπῐ́ου); second declension

scorpion
scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa)
Synonym: σκόρπαινα (skórpaina)
scorpion furze (Genista acanthoclada)
Synonym: ἐχινόπους (ekhinópous)
scorpion root (Doronicum orientale)
(astronomy) Scorpio, a constellation
engine of war which discharged arrows

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ σκορπῐ́ος; τοῦ σκορπῐ́ου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σκορπῐ́ος ho skorpĭ́os	τὼ σκορπῐ́ω tṑ skorpĭ́ō	οἱ σκορπῐ́οι hoi skorpĭ́oi
Genitive	τοῦ σκορπῐ́ου toû skorpĭ́ou	τοῖν σκορπῐ́οιν toîn skorpĭ́oin	τῶν σκορπῐ́ων tôn skorpĭ́ōn
Dative	τῷ σκορπῐ́ῳ tōî skorpĭ́ōi	τοῖν σκορπῐ́οιν toîn skorpĭ́oin	τοῖς σκορπῐ́οις toîs skorpĭ́ois
Accusative	τὸν σκορπῐ́ον tòn skorpĭ́on	τὼ σκορπῐ́ω tṑ skorpĭ́ō	τοὺς σκορπῐ́ους toùs skorpĭ́ous
Vocative	σκορπῐ́ε skorpĭ́e	σκορπῐ́ω skorpĭ́ō	σκορπῐ́οι skorpĭ́oi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σκόρπαινα (skórpaina)
σκόρπειος (skórpeios)
σκορπιακός (skorpiakós)
σκορπιανός (skorpianós)
σκορπίδιον (skorpídion)
σκορπίζω (skorpízō)
σκορπιόδηκτος (skorpiódēktos)
σκορπιοειδής (skorpioeidḗs)
σκορπιόεις (skorpióeis)
σκορπίοθεν (skorpíothen)
σκορπιοκτόνον (skorpioktónon)
σκορπιομάχος (skorpiomákhos)
σκορπίον (skorpíon)
σκορπιόομαι (skorpióomai)
σκορπιόπληκτος (skorpióplēktos)
σκορπίουρος (skorpíouros)
σκορπιοφόρος (skorpiophóros)
σκορπίς (skorpís)
σκόρπισις (skórpisis)
σκορπισμός (skorpismós)
σκορπιστής (skorpistḗs)
σκορπιστικός (skorpistikós)
σκορπῖτις (skorpîtis)
σκορπιώδης (skorpiṓdēs)

Descendants

Greek: σκορπιός m (skorpiós)
→ Latin: scorpiō, scorpios, scorpius
- →? Albanian: shkrap
- Catalan: escorpí
- → German: Skorpion
- → Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍀𐌾𐍉 (skaurpjō)
- → Middle Irish: scoirp
  - Irish: scairp
- Italian: scorpione
- >? Italian: sgorbio
- → Middle Low German: schorpie
- → Norwegian Bokmål: skorpion
- Old French: escorpion, escorpione, escorpioun, escorpiun, scorpion, scorpioun, scorpiun
  - Middle French:
    - French: scorpion
  - Norman: scorpion
  - → Middle Dutch: scorpioen
    - Dutch: schorpioen
  - → Middle English: scorpioun, schorpion, skorpioun, schorpiun, scorpion, scorpyoun, scarpyn, scorpien, scorpiown
    - English: scorpion
    - → Welsh: sgorpion
- → Old Galician-Portuguese: escorpiõ, escorpiam, escorpio, escorpiom, escorpyom, escorpõ, scorpio, scorpiõ, scorpom (learned)
  - Galician: escorpión
  - Portuguese: escorpião
- Old Spanish: escorpion
  - Spanish: escorpión
- Romanian: scorpion
- Romansch: scorpiun
- → Russian: скорпио́н m (skorpión)
- Sicilian: scurpiuni
→ Classical Sanskrit: कौर्पि (kaurpi)

References

^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025), “scorpion”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “σκορπίος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1358-9