γρύψ

Forms

γρῡ́ψ (grū́ps) m (genitive γρῡπός); third declension^[1] Also γρυβός (grubós) and γρῦνος (grûnos) in Hesychius.^[2][3]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[4][1] Rosół considers it probably a Semitic loanword, from the word seen in borrowed from Akkadian karūbu (“a protective genius”) and Biblical Hebrew כרוב (kərûḇ, “cherub”), which the Septuagint renders χερούβ (kheroúb).^[2][4] Grimme assumed that it came from Akkadian through Hittite, and archaeologists place the origin of the griffin in Asia Minor and the Near East.^[3] Hemmerdinger, however, denies the link with the Akkadian word.^[3]

It has been linked with γρυπός (grupós, “hook-nosed, curved”), from the griffin's hooked beak, but Beekes is not sure that the two are related.^[3][4] He considers the adjective Pre-Greek, with a nasal form γρυμπαίνω (grumpaínō) and the variant γρυβός (grubós), and suspects the same of the bird's name.^[3] Güntert's idea that it is γύψ (gúps, “vulture”) altered by γρυπός is unconvincing to Beekes, and the DGE gives it only as a possibility.^[3][4]

Through Latin gryphus, the word reached the languages of western Europe.^[3] Latin also had gryps.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DGE's first reference is a fragment of Hesiod.^[4] Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound calls the griffins the sharp-beaked hounds of Zeus.^[4][6] A scholion on that passage says that Hesiod was the first to tell of griffins.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Herodotus, quoting the epic poet Aristeas, places the gold-guarding griffins in the far north, among the Arimaspians.^[4][6] Later writers place them in India and in Ethiopia and connect them with the Sun.^[4] Griffins were common in art: an inscription of 419/8 BC records them on the Parthenon, and a table from Smyrna had feet carved as griffins.^[7][4][6] Plato Comicus wrote a comedy called the Griffins.^[4]

In the Septuagint γρύψ names an unclean bird, probably the bearded vulture.^[6][7][8] Hesychius uses the plural for part of a ship's tackle or an anchor.^[6][8] Modern Greek γρύπας (grýpas) is a learned form from the ancient accusative.^[9]

Timeline

• Before the 6th century BC – A fragment of Hesiod mentions griffins.^[4][2]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound calls the griffins hounds of Zeus.^[4][6]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus, after Aristeas, tells of the gold-guarding griffins of the north.^[4][6]
• 419/8 BC – An Athenian inscription records griffins on the Parthenon.^[7][4]
• 3rd century BC – The Septuagint uses it for an unclean bird.^[6][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A griffin, a winged monster with a lion's body and an eagle's beak that guards gold.^[6][4]
2. (Septuagint) An unclean bird, probably the lammergeier or bearded vulture.^[6][7]
3. (plural) Part of a ship's tackle, or an anchor.^[6][10]

Related words

• γρυπός (grupós)
• Latin gryphus
• English griffin

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rosół, Rafał (2013), Frühe semitische Lehnwörter im Griechischen, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang
3. ^ a b c d e f g Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Scarborough, Matthew (2025), PHILOGLOSSA: database of Pre-Greek and other non-Indo-European words in Ancient Greek, version 1.0
8. ^ a b Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
9. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ Hesychius of Alexandria, Lexicon, ed. Kurt Latte (Α–Ο, Copenhagen 1953–1966) and Moritz Schmidt (Π–Ω, Jena 1858–1868)