ἀλκυών

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἁλκυών (halkuṓn)
αὐκυών (aukuṓn) — Cretan

Etymology

Unknown, apparently from Pre-Greek. Already in Ancient Greek, this non-Indoeuropean origin produced a folk etymology and the corresponding alternative spelling ἁλκυών (halkuṓn) based on the imagined derivation from ἅλς (háls, “salt”) + κυέω (kuéō, “I conceive”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /al.ky.ɔ̌ːn/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /al.kyˈon/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /al.cyˈon/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /al.cyˈon/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /al.ciˈon/

Noun

ἀλκυών • (alkuṓn) f (genitive ἀλκυόνος); third declension

kingfisher, halcyon

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ἀλκῠών; τῆς ἀλκῠόνος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἀλκῠών hē alkuṓn	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkuóne	αἱ ἀλκῠόνες hai alkuónes
Genitive	τῆς ἀλκῠόνος tês alkuónos	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkuónoin	τῶν ἀλκῠόνων tôn alkuónōn
Dative	τῇ ἀλκῠόνῐ têi alkuóni	τοῖν ἀλκῠόνοιν toîn alkuónoin	ταῖς ἀλκῠόσῐ / ἀλκῠόσῐν taîs alkuósi(n)
Accusative	τὴν ἀλκῠόνᾰ tḕn alkuóna	τὼ ἀλκῠόνε tṑ alkuóne	τᾱ̀ς ἀλκῠόνᾰς tā̀s alkuónas
Vocative	ἀλκῠών alkuṓn	ἀλκῠόνε alkuóne	ἀλκῠόνες alkuónes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Classical Syriac: ܐܠܩܐܘܢ (/⁠ʾlqʾwn⁠/)
→ Latin: alcēdō, halcyōn (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Armenian: աղկիոն (ałkion), աղկիովն (ałkiovn)
→ Old Georgian: ალკჳონი (alḳwioni)
- Georgian: ალკუნი (alḳuni)
→ Old East Slavic: алкионъ (alkionŭ)