φύλαξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Same source as φυλάσσω (phulássō, “to guard, watch”), but of unknown further etymology. According to Beekes, both words are clear examples of Pre-Greek. Note in particular the suffix -αξ (-ax).^[1]

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pʰý.laks/ → /ˈɸy.laks/ → /ˈfi.laks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰý.laks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰy.laks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸy.laks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈfy.laks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfi.laks/

Noun

φῠ́λᾰξ • (phúlax) m (genitive φῠ́λᾰκος); third declension

1. guard; sentry

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ φῠ́λᾰξ ho phúlax	τὼ φῠ́λᾰκε tṑ phúlake	οἱ φῠ́λᾰκες hoi phúlakes
Genitive	τοῦ φῠ́λᾰκος toû phúlakos	τοῖν φῠλᾰ́κοιν toîn phulákoin	τῶν φῠλᾰ́κων tôn phulákōn
Dative	τῷ φῠ́λᾰκῐ tôi phúlaki	τοῖν φῠλᾰ́κοιν toîn phulákoin	τοῖς φῠ́λᾰξῐ / φῠ́λᾰξῐν toîs phúlaxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν φῠ́λᾰκᾰ tòn phúlaka	τὼ φῠ́λᾰκε tṑ phúlake	τοὺς φῠ́λᾰκᾰς toùs phúlakas
Vocative	φῠ́λᾰξ phúlax	φῠ́λᾰκε phúlake	φῠ́λᾰκες phúlakes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ φῠ́λᾰξ; τοῦ φῠ́λᾰκος (Attic)

Derived terms

• ἀγροφῠ́λᾰξ (agrophúlax)
• αἰγῐᾰλοφῠ́λᾰξ (aigialophúlax)
• βῐβλῐοφῠ́λᾰξ (bibliophúlax)
• γᾱζοφῠ́λᾰξ (gāzophúlax)
• δεσμοφῠ́λᾰξ (desmophúlax)
• εἱργμοφῠ́λᾰξ (heirgmophúlax)
• εἰρηνοφῠ́λᾰξ (eirēnophúlax)
• ἐφηβοφῠ́λᾰξ (ephēbophúlax)
• ἡμεροφῠ́λᾰξ (hēmerophúlax)
• θεοφῠ́λᾰξ (theophúlax)
• θερμοφῠ́λᾰξ (thermophúlax)
• θησαυροφῠ́λᾰξ (thēsaurophúlax)
• ἱεροφῠ́λᾰξ (hierophúlax)
• ῑ̔μᾰτῐοφῠ́λᾰξ (hīmatiophúlax)
• Ἰ̄νωποφῠ́λᾰξ (Īnōpophúlax)
• κᾰρποφῠ́λᾰξ (karpophúlax)
• κεστροφῠ́λᾰξ (kestrophúlax)
• κοιτωνοφῠ́λᾰξ (koitōnophúlax)
• κρηνοφῠ́λᾰξ (krēnophúlax)
• λῐμενοφῠ́λᾰξ (limenophúlax)
• μᾰγδωλοφῠ́λᾰξ (magdōlophúlax)
• μετοικοφῠ́λᾰξ (metoikophúlax)
• μηλοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēlophúlax)
• μηνῐγγοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēningophúlax)
• νᾰοφῠ́λᾰξ (naophúlax)
• νεκροφῠ́λᾰξ (nekrophúlax)
• νομοφῠ́λᾰξ (nomophúlax)
• νῠκτοφῠ́λᾰξ (nuktophúlax)
• ξενοφῠ́λᾰξ (xenophúlax)
• ὁδοφῠ́λᾰξ (hodophúlax)
• οἰκοφῠ́λᾰξ (oikophúlax)
• οἰνοφῠ́λᾰξ (oinophúlax)
• ὀπῐσθοφῠ́λᾰξ (opisthophúlax)
• ὁπλοφῠ́λᾰξ (hoplophúlax)
• ὁρμοφῠ́λᾰξ (hormophúlax)
• ὁροφῠ́λᾰξ (horophúlax)
• ὀροφῠ́λᾰξ (orophúlax)
• ὀρφᾰνοφῠ́λᾰξ (orphanophúlax)
• παιδοφῠ́λᾰξ (paidophúlax)
• πᾰλαιστροφῠ́λᾰξ (palaistrophúlax)
• πολῑτοφῠ́λᾰξ (polītophúlax)
• πῠργοφῠ́λᾰξ (purgophúlax)
• ῥῐσκοφῠ́λᾰξ (rhiskophúlax)
• σκευοφῠ́λᾰξ (skeuophúlax)
• σκηνοφῠ́λᾰξ (skēnophúlax)
• στρᾰτοφῠ́λᾰξ (stratophúlax)
• στρωμᾰτοφῠ́λᾰξ (strōmatophúlax)
• σῠμφῠ́λᾰξ (sumphúlax)
• τειχοφῠ́λᾰξ (teikhophúlax)
• ὑδροφῠ́λᾰξ (hudrophúlax)
• *φυλακέω (*phulakéō)
• χᾰλᾰζοφῠ́λᾰξ (khalazophúlax)
• χειλοφῠ́λᾰξ (kheilophúlax)
• χῐμαιροφῠ́λᾰξ (khimairophúlax)
• χρῡσοφῠ́λᾰξ (khrūsophúlax)
• χωροφῠ́λᾰξ (khōrophúlax)

 

Descendants

• Greek: φύλακας (fýlakas)
• Coptic: ⲫⲩⲗⲁⲝ (phulaks)

References

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “φύλαξ, -ακος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1595

Further reading

• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2014) “φύλαξ, -ακος”, in Stefan Norbruis, editor, Pre-Greek: Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 133
• “φύλαξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “φύλαξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• φύλαξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• φύλαξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “φύλαξ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G5441 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • custodian idem, page 191.
  • defender idem, page 204.
  • door-keeper idem, page 247.
  • gaoler idem, page 353.
  • gate-keeper idem, page 354.
  • guard idem, page 376.
  • guardian idem, page 377.
  • jailor idem, page 461.
  • janitor idem, page 461.
  • keeper idem, page 468.
  • police idem, page 624.
  • porter idem, page 627.
  • portress idem, page 627.
  • protector idem, page 653.
  • protectress idem, page 653.
  • sentinel idem, page 754.
  • supporter idem, page 841.
  • upholder idem, page 938.
  • warder idem, page 964.
  • watch idem, page 965.
  • watcher idem, page 967.