σφαῖρα Ancient Greek · revision 15569

+ {{infobox|confidence=unknown|attested=Homer, Odyssey}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /spʰâi̯.ra/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈsɸɛ.ra/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈsfe.ra/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''σφαῖρᾰ''' (sphaîra) ''f'' (genitive σφαίρᾱς); first declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed like [[m|grc|πεῖρα|tr=peîra]], [[m|grc|σπεῖρα|tr=speîra]] and [[m|grc|μοῖρα|tr=moîra]], but has no cognates outside Greek.^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960) It has sometimes been connected with [[m|grc|σπαίρω|tr=spaírō|t=to gasp, quiver]] and Indo-European [[m|ine-pro|*sperH-|t=to kick, rebound]], as “something that rebounds”, but Beekes finds the meaning hardly convincing and the initial /sph/ unexplained.^(Beekes 2010)^(Wiktionary) Nikolayev proposes [[m|grk-pro|*skʷʰə́řřa]], from a root “to be round”.^(Wiktionary) Rosół rejects a Semitic explanation from a root “to plait”.^(Rosół 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Homer uses it in the ''Odyssey'' for a ball: “to play at ball” (6.100), and a fine ball taken up by dancers (8.372).^(LSJ 1940)^(GLAUx)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Anacreon, Herodotus and Plato use it for a ball as a plaything.^(CGL 2021) Parmenides, Plato and Aristotle use it for a sphere or globe, and Aristotle for the heavenly spheres that carry the stars round the earth.^(CGL 2021) Plato also uses it for the padded boxing-glove used in practice, and the young men of Sparta were called [[σφαιρεῖς|tr=sphaireîs]] after it.^(CGL 2021)^(Beekes 2010)

+

+ Its derivative [[σφαιρικός|tr=sphairikós]] “spherical” is in Archytas and Aristotle.^(Beekes 2010) Syriac, Ethiopic and Armenian borrowed the word, and Latin as [[m|la|sphaera]].^(Beekes 2010)^(Saalfeld 1874) Modern Greek ''σφαίρα'' is a learned word for a sphere, a ball and a bullet; the senses “bullet” and “sphere (of activity)” are semantic loans from English ''shot'' and French ''sphère''.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Homer – The ''Odyssey'' uses it for a ball in play.^(LSJ 1940)^(GLAUx)

+ * 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for a ball.^(CGL 2021)^(GLAUx)^(DGE)

+ * 5th century BC – Parmenides uses it for a sphere.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for the heavenly spheres.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * Modern Greek – ''σφαίρα'' means sphere, ball, bullet.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|ball]] for playing.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # A [[m|en|sphere]], globe.^(CGL 2021)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(astronomy)'' A heavenly sphere.^(CGL 2021)

+ # A padded boxing-glove.^(CGL 2021)^(Beekes 2010)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|sphaera]]

+ * [[en|sphere]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}