ἵππος

See also: ίππος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἴκκος (íkkos) (mentioned only in the Byzantine Etymologicum Magnum)
• ἴππος (íppos) — Aeolic

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁éḱwos

From Proto-Hellenic *íkkʷos (compare Mycenaean Greek 𐀂𐀦 (i-qo)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos, from *h₁oh₁ḱu- (“swift”). Unexplained is ι for ε, the word initial heavy breathing (h) and the double π (hίππος instead of expected **έπος), possibly borrowed from another Indo-European language where such a sound change is regular. Cognates include Sanskrit अश्व (áśva), Latin equus, Lithuanian ašva, Gaulish epos, Old Armenian էշ (ēš, “donkey”), Old English eoh, and Old Irish ech.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /híp.pos/ → /ˈip.pos/ → /ˈi.pos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /híp.pos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)ip.pos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈip.pos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈip.pos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.pos/

Noun

ῐ̔́ππος • (híppos) m or f (genitive ῐ̔́ππου); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. a horse, (feminine) a mare
   • New Testament, Revelation 6:8:

     καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ [ὁ] Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ἅδης ἠκολούθει μετ' αὐτοῦ

     kaì eîdon, kaì idoù híppos khlōrós, kaì ho kathḗmenos epánō autoû ónoma autôi [ho] Thánatos, kaì ho hádēs ēkoloúthei met' autoû

     And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. (KJV)

2. (feminine) cavalry, horsemen

Usage notes

• When used as a collective noun ("horse, cavalry"), this word is always feminine singular, even with numerals.

  460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.41:

  μετὰ δὲ ἵππος ἄλλη χιλίη ἐκ Περσέων ἀπολελεγμένη

  metà dè híppos állē khilíē ek Perséōn apolelegménē

  and after them came another thousand horsemen chosen out from the Persians

Declension

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ ῐ̔́ππος; τοῦ, τῆς ῐ̔́ππου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ῐ̔́ππος ho, hē híppos	τὼ ῐ̔́ππω tṑ híppō	οἱ, αἱ ῐ̔́πποι hoi, hai híppoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ῐ̔́ππου toû, tês híppou	τοῖν ῐ̔́πποιν toîn híppoin	τῶν ῐ̔́ππων tôn híppōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ῐ̔́ππῳ tôi, têi híppōi	τοῖν ῐ̔́πποιν toîn híppoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ῐ̔́πποις toîs, taîs híppois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ῐ̔́ππον tòn, tḕn híppon	τὼ ῐ̔́ππω tṑ híppō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ῐ̔́ππους toùs, tā̀s híppous
Vocative	ῐ̔́ππε híppe	ῐ̔́ππω híppō	ῐ̔́πποι híppoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ῐ̔́ππος; ῐ̔́ππου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ῐ̔́ππος híppos	ῐ̔́ππω híppō	ῐ̔́πποι híppoi
Genitive	ῐ̔́ππου / ῐ̔πποῖο / ῐ̔́πποιο / ῐ̔ππόο / ῐ̔́πποο híppou / hippoîo / híppoio / hippóo / híppoo	ῐ̔́πποιῐν híppoiin	ῐ̔́ππων híppōn
Dative	ῐ̔́ππῳ híppōi	ῐ̔́πποιῐν híppoiin	ῐ̔́πποισῐ / ῐ̔́πποισῐν / ῐ̔́πποις híppoisi(n) / híppois
Accusative	ῐ̔́ππον híppon	ῐ̔́ππω híppō	ῐ̔́ππους híppous
Vocative	ῐ̔́ππε híppe	ῐ̔́ππω híppō	ῐ̔́πποι híppoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• Ἀλέξιππος (Aléxippos)
• Ἀλκίππη (Alkíppē)
• Ἀνάξιππος (Anáxippos)
• Ᾰ̓ρῐ́στῐππος (Arístippos)
• ἄφιππος (áphippos)
• Γλαυκίππη (Glaukíppē)
• Γόργιππος (Górgippos)
• Δέξῐππος (Déxippos)
• Ἕρμιππος (Hérmippos)
• Εὔιππος (Eúippos)
• Ἔφῐππος (Éphippos)
• Ζεύξῐππος (Zeúxippos)
• ἱππεύς (hippeús)
• ἱππιᾱτρός (hippiātrós)
• ἱππικός (hippikós)
• Ἱπποδάμεια (Hippodámeia)
• ἱππόδαμος, Ἱππόδαμος (hippódamos, Hippódamos)
• ἱππόδασυς (hippódasus)
• ἱππόδρομος (hippódromos)
• Ἱπποθόη (Hippothóē)
• Ἱππόθοος (Hippóthoos)
• Ἱπποθόων (Hippothóōn)
• ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos)
• ἱπποκάνθαρος (hippokántharos)
• ἱπποκέλευθος (hippokéleuthos)
• Ῐ̔πποκλῆς (Hippoklês)
• ἱπποκορυστής (hippokorustḗs)
• Ἱπποκόων (Hippokóōn)
• Ῐ̔πποκρᾰ́της (Hippokrátēs)
• ἱππόκρημνος (hippókrēmnos)
• ἱππολάπαθον (hippolápathon)
• Ἱππόλοχος (Hippólokhos)
• Ἱππόλυτος (Hippólutos)
• ἱππομάραθον (hippomárathon)
• Ἱππομέδων (Hippomédōn)
• Ἱππομένης (Hippoménēs)
• Ἱππονόμης (Hipponómēs)
• ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos)
• ἱπποσέλινον (hipposélinon)
• Ἱππόστρατος (Hippóstratos)
• ἱππότῑλος (hippótīlos)
• ἱππόφαιστον (hippóphaiston)
• ἱπποφοβᾰ́ς (hippophobás)
• ἱπποφορβός (hippophorbós)
• Ἱππῶνᾰξ (Hippônax)
• Κράτιππος (Krátippos)
• Κτήσῐππος (Ktḗsippos)
• Λεύκιππος (Leúkippos)
• Λῡ́σῐππος (Lū́sippos)
• Μελᾰνῐ́ππη (Melaníppē)
• Μελᾰ́νῐππος (Melánippos)
• Μενίππη (Meníppē)
• Μένῐππος (Ménippos)
• Μνάσιππος (Mnásippos)
• Νικίππη (Nikíppē)
• Ξᾰνθῐ́ππη (Xanthíppē)
• Ξᾰ́νθῐππος (Xánthippos)
• Σπεύσιππος (Speúsippos)
• ταράξιππος (taráxippos)
• τέθριππον (téthrippon)
• Φίλιππος (Phílippos)
• Χρυσίππη (Khrusíppē)
• Χρῡ́σῐππος (Khrū́sippos)

 

Descendants

• Greek: ίππος (íppos)
• → English: hippo-
• → French: hippo-
• → Italian: ippo-
• → Portuguese: hipo-
• → Spanish: hipo-

Further reading

• “ἵππος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἵππος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἵππος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἵππος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ἵππος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἵππος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2462 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • cavalry idem, page 119.
  • charger idem, page 125.
  • chivalry idem, page 131.
  • horse idem, page 406.
  • mare idem, page 514.