γέφυρα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• βέφυρα (béphura) — Boeotian
• δέφυρα (déphura) — Cretan
• δίφουρα (díphoura) — Laconian

Etymology

Unknown. Compare Old Armenian կամուրջ (kamurǰ, “bridge”) and Hattic 𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊒𒊀 (ḫa-am-mu-ru-waₐ /⁠ḫamuruwa, ḫammuruwa, ḫāmuruwaₐ⁠/, “beam”). Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡé.pʰyː.ra/ → /ˈʝe.ɸy.ra/ → /ˈʝe.fi.ra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡé.pʰyː.ra/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡe.pʰy.ra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.ɸy.ra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.fy.ra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.fi.ra/

Noun

γέφῡρᾰ • (géphūră) f (genitive γεφῡ́ρᾱς); first declension

1. dam, dyke
2. battlefield
3. bridge

Inflection

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέφῡρᾰ hē géphūră	τὼ γεφῡ́ρᾱ tṑ gephū́rā	αἱ γέφῡραι hai géphūrai
Genitive	τῆς γεφῡ́ρᾱς tês gephū́rās	τοῖν γεφῡ́ραιν toîn gephū́rain	τῶν γεφῡρῶν tôn gephūrôn
Dative	τῇ γεφῡ́ρᾳ têi gephū́rāi	τοῖν γεφῡ́ραιν toîn gephū́rain	ταῖς γεφῡ́ραις taîs gephū́rais
Accusative	τὴν γέφῡρᾰν tḕn géphūrăn	τὼ γεφῡ́ρᾱ tṑ gephū́rā	τᾱ̀ς γεφῡ́ρᾱς tā̀s gephū́rās
Vocative	γέφῡρᾰ géphūră	γεφῡ́ρᾱ gephū́rā	γέφῡραι géphūrai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ γέφῡρᾰ; τῆς γεφῡ́ρᾱς (Attic)

Derived terms

• γεφῡρεργάτης (gephūrergátēs)
• γεφῡρίζω (gephūrízō)
• γεφῡ́ριον (gephū́rion)
• γεφῡρισμός (gephūrismós)
• γεφῡριστής (gephūristḗs)
• γεφῡροποιός (gephūropoiós)
• γεφῡρουργία (gephūrourgía)
• γεφῡρόω (gephūróō)
• γεφῡ́ρωμα (gephū́rōma)
• γεφῡ́ρωσις (gephū́rōsis)
• γεφῡρωτής (gephūrōtḗs)

Descendants

• Greek: γέφυρα (géfyra)

References

• “γέφυρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γέφυρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γέφυρα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γέφυρα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γέφυρα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• γέφυρα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “γέφυρα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • bridge idem, page 98.
  • pontoon idem, page 626.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γέφυρα (géphura).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝefira/
• Hyphenation: γέ‧φυ‧ρα

Noun

γέφυρα • (géfyra) f (plural γέφυρες)

1. bridge (construction that spans a divide)

   κρεμαστή γέφυρα ― kremastí géfyra ― suspension bridge

2. (dentistry) bridge
3. (nautical) bridge
4. (anatomy) pons

Declension

Declension of γέφυρα

	singular	plural
nominative	γέφυρα (géfyra)	γέφυρες (géfyres)
genitive	γέφυρας (géfyras)	γεφυρών (gefyrón)
accusative	γέφυρα (géfyra)	γέφυρες (géfyres)
vocative	γέφυρα (géfyra)	γέφυρες (géfyres)

Derived terms

• γεφυράκι n (gefyráki, “footbridge”)
• γεφυροποιός m (gefyropoiós, “bridge builder”)
• γεφυρώνω (gefyróno, “to bridge”)
• γεφύρωση f (gefýrosi, “bridging”)
• κρεμαστή γέφυρα f (kremastí géfyra, “suspension bridge”)
• οδογέφυρα f (odogéfyra, “viaduct, road bridge, railway bridge”)
• πεζογέφυρα f (pezogéfyra, “footbridge”)

See also

• σήραγγα f (síranga, “tunnel”)
• τούνελ n (toúnel, “tunnel”)

Further reading

• γέφυρα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el