νηφάλιος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • νηφαλέος (nēphaléos), νήφαλος (nḗphalos) (both very rare)

Etymology

From νήφω (nḗphō, “to be sober, to abstain from wine, to be self-controlled”) +‎ -άλιος (-álios). This family of words pertaining to sobriety (including also νήφων m (nḗphōn), νηφαίνω (nēphaínō, verb)) are related to Old Armenian նաւթի (nawtʻi, “fasting”, adjective). Ultimately, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *n-H(H)gʷʰ-ti-o- or from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“to drink”) prefixed with the negative particle *n̥-.

Pronunciation

 

Adjective

νηφάλιος • (nēphálios) m (feminine νηφαλία, neuter νηφάλιον); first/second declension

  1. (of people) sober, not inebriated
  2. unmixed with wine, wineless
    νηφάλιαι θυσίαι ― nēpháliai thusíai ― wineless libations/sacrifices
    νηφάλια θύειν ― nēphália thúein ― to offer wineless libations
    νηφάλια μειλίγματα ― nēphália meilígmata ― offerings of water, milk, and honey to the Eumenides
    νηφάλιος κρατήρ ― nēphálios kratḗr ― krater containing liquids unmixed with wine
    νηφάλια ξύλα ― nēphália xúla ― wood other than vine twigs, burned in sacrifices

Declension

Derived terms

  • νηφαλιότης f (nēphaliótēs, “sobriety”)
  • νηφαλίως (nēphalíōs, “in a sober manner”, adverb)
  • νηφαλιεύω (nēphalieúō, “to offer wineless libations”, verb)
  • νηφαλιεύς (nēphalieús, “sober (as an epithet of Apollo)”, adjective)

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νηφάλιος (nēphálios).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /niˈfa.li.os/
  • Hyphenation: νη‧φά‧λι‧ος

Adjective

νηφάλιος • (nifálios) m (feminine νηφάλια, neuter νηφάλιο)

  1. calm, astute, sober, collected, dispassionate
    νηφάλια σκέψη ― nifália sképsi ― a sober thought
  2. sober, not drunk

Declension

Further reading

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