Πλειάδες

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Πληϊάδες (Plēïádes) — Epic, Ionic
• Πληΐαδες (Plēḯades) — Aeolic
• Πελειάδες (Peleiádes) — influenced by πελειάς (peleiás, “dove”)

Etymology

Apparently from πλέω (pléō, “to sail”) because of the star cluster’s importance in delimiting the sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea: "the season of navigation began with their heliacal rising".^[1] The mythological sisters were probably named after the star cluster, rather than vice versa.

The singular Πλειάς (Pleiás) is sometimes found referring to the star cluster.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pleː.á.des/ → /pliˈa.ðes/ → /pliˈa.ðes/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pleː.á.des/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /pliˈa.des/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /pliˈa.ðes/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /pliˈa.ðes/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /pliˈa.ðes/

Proper noun

Πλειάδες • (Pleiádes) f pl (genitive Πλειάδων); third declension

1. (astronomy) Pleiades (star cluster)
2. (Greek mythology) Pleiades (seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione)

Declension

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	αἱ Πλειᾰ́δες hai Pleiắdes
Genitive	τῶν Πλειᾰ́δων tôn Pleiắdōn
Dative	ταῖς Πλειᾰ́σῐ / Πλειᾰ́σῐν taîs Pleiắsĭ(n)
Accusative	τᾱ̀ς Πλειᾰ́δᾰς tā̀s Pleiắdăs
Vocative	Πλειᾰ́δες Pleiắdes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. Nominative singular -ς (-s) arose by reduction of the original cluster *-ds.

Third declension of αἱ Πλειᾰ́δες; τῶν Πλειᾰ́δων (Attic)

Hyponyms

• Ἀλκυόνη (Alkuónē, “Alcyone”)
• Ἠλέκτρᾱ (Ēléktrā, “Electra”)
• Κελαινώ (Kelainṓ, “Celaeno”)
• Μαῖα (Maîa, “Maia”)
• Μερόπη (Merópē, “Merope”)
• Στερόπη (Sterópē, “Sterope”)
• Ταϋγέτη (Taügétē, “Taygete”)

Descendants

Descendants

• Greek: Πλειάδες (Pleiádes)
• → Asturian: Pléyades
• → Basque: Pleiade
• → Breton: Pleiadezed
• → Bulgarian: Плеяди (Plejadi)
• → Catalan: Plèiades
• → Mandarin: 普勒阿得斯 (Pǔlè'ādésī)
• → Czech: Plejády
• → Danish: Plejaderne
• → Dutch: Pleiaden
• → Esperanto: Plejadoj
• → Estonian: Plejaadid
• → Finnish: Plejadit, plejadi
• → French: Pléiades
• → Galician: Pléiades
• → Georgian: პლეადები (ṗleadebi)
• → German: Plejaden
• → Hebrew: פְּלִיאָדוֹת (Pliadót)
• → Hungarian: pleiaszok, Plejádok
• → Ido: Pleyado
• → Italian: Pleiadi
• → Japanese: プレイアデス (Pureiadesu)
• → Korean: 플레이아데스 (Peulleiadeseu)
• → Latin: Plēiadēs
• → Latvian: Plejādes
• → Lithuanian: Plejadės
• → Luxembourgish: Pleiaden
• → Norwegian: Pleiadene
• → Occitan: pleiades
• → Polish: plejada, Plejady
• → Portuguese: Plêiades
• → Romanian: Pleiada
• → Russian: Плея́ды (Plejády)
• → Serbo-Croatian: Plejade
• → Slovak: Plejády
• → Slovene: Plejade
• → Spanish: Pléyades
• → Swedish: Plejaderna
• → Thai: ไพลยาดีส (plaiyaadèet)
• → Ukrainian: Плея́ди (Plejády)

References

1. “Pleiad”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Further reading

• “Πλειάδες”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
• “Πλειάδες”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Greek

Etymology

Ancient Greek Πλειάδες (Pleiádes), possibly from πλέω (pléō, “to sail”), or possibly from a plural of πέλεια (péleia, “dove”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pliˈa.ðes/

Proper noun

Πλειάδες • (Pleiádes) f pl

1. (astronomy) Pleiades (star cluster in Taurus)
2. (Greek mythology) Pleiades (seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione)

Declension

Declension of Πλειάδα

	singular	plural
nominative	Πλειάδα (Pleiáda)	Πλειάδες (Pleiádes)
genitive	Πλειάδας (Pleiádas)	Πλειάδων (Pleiádon)
accusative	Πλειάδα (Pleiáda)	Πλειάδες (Pleiádes)
vocative	Πλειάδα (Pleiáda)	Πλειάδες (Pleiádes)

Hyponyms

• Αλκυόνη (Alkyóni, “Alcyone”)
• Ηλέκτρα (Iléktra, “Electra”)
• Κελαινώ (Kelainó, “Celaeno”)
• Μαία (Maía, “Maia”)
• Μερόπη (Merópi, “Merope”)
• Στερόπη (Sterópi, “Sterope”)
• Ταϋγέτη (Taÿgéti, “Taygete”)

References

• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Πλειάδες”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.