ἀλώπηξ

See also: αλώπηξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ᾰ̓λωπός (alōpós)

Etymology

Presumably from earlier Proto-Hellenic *alōpēkos, *alṓpāks. Some linguists have attempted derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂lōpeh₂s (stem *h₂lop-); compare Old Armenian աղուէս (ałuēs), Lithuanian lãpė, Latvian lapsa and Sanskrit लोपाश (lopāśá). The many irregular variations on the word may suggest a Mediterranean wanderword instead; compare Luwian [script needed] (ulipna-)/[script needed] (walipna-, “wolf”) and Latin vulpēs (“fox”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.lɔ̌ː.pɛːks/ → /aˈlo.piks/ → /aˈlo.piks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lɔ̌ː.pɛːks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.pe̝ks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈlo.piks/

Noun

ᾰ̓λώπηξ • (alṓpēx) f (genitive ᾰ̓λώπεκος); third declension

1. fox (small canine of the genus Vulpes)
   • 1st century C.E., Gospel of Matthew 8, 20b and Gospel of Luke 9, 58b (Q).

     Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ.

     Hai alṓpekes phōleoùs ékhousin kaì tà peteinà toû ouranoû kataskēnṓseis, ho dè huiòs toû anthrṓpou ouk ékhei poû tḕn kephalḕn klínēi.

     The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have roosts, but the Son of Man has nothing where he may lay his head.

   Synonym: βασσάρα (bassára)

2. (figuratively) cunning or sly person

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ᾰ̓λώπηξ; τῆς ᾰ̓λώπεκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓λώπηξ hē alṓpēx	τὼ ᾰ̓λώπεκε tṑ alṓpeke	αἱ ᾰ̓λώπεκες hai alṓpekes
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓λώπεκος tês alṓpekos	τοῖν ᾰ̓λωπέκοιν toîn alōpékoin	τῶν ᾰ̓λωπέκων tôn alōpékōn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓λώπεκῐ têi alṓpeki	τοῖν ᾰ̓λωπέκοιν toîn alōpékoin	ταῖς ᾰ̓λώπεξῐ / ᾰ̓λώπεξῐν taîs alṓpexi(n)
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓λώπεκᾰ tḕn alṓpeka	τὼ ᾰ̓λώπεκε tṑ alṓpeke	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓λώπεκᾰς tā̀s alṓpekas
Vocative	ᾰ̓λώπηξ alṓpēx	ᾰ̓λώπεκε alṓpeke	ᾰ̓λώπεκες alṓpekes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀλωπεκία (alōpekía)
• ἀλωπεκίζειν (alōpekízein)
• ἀλωπέκιον (alōpékion)
• ἀλωπεκίς (alōpekís)
• ἀλωπέκουρος (alōpékouros)
• κυναλώπηξ (kunalṓpēx)
• χηναλώπηξ (khēnalṓpēx)

 

Descendants

• Greek: > αλεπού (alepoú) (inherited), → ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx), αλώπηξ (alópix) (learned)
• > Pontic Greek: αλεπός (alepós) (inherited)
• → Samoan: ālope (learned)
  • → Tokelauan: ālope (learned)
• → Translingual: Alopex (learned)

Further reading

• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀλώπηξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀλώπηξ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἀλώπηξ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G258 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, page 342
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • fox idem, page 341.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx).

Noun

ἀλώπηξ • (alṓpēx) f (plural αλώπεκες)

1. (Katharevousa) fox

Declension

Declension of ἀλώπηξ

	singular	plural
nominative	ἀλώπηξ •	ἀλώπεκες •
genitive	ἀλώπεκος •	ἀλωπέκων •
accusative	ἀλώπεκα •	ἀλώπεκας •
vocative	ἀλώπηξ •	ἀλώπεκες •

Alternative forms

• αλώπηξ (alópix)

Synonyms

• αλεπού f (alepoú)

Related terms

• Αλώπηξ f (Alópix, “Vulpecula”)