-τήρ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr, with nominative η made common to all cases with original syncopation or ε; compare its use in ἀστήρ (astḗr) (always with ε) and γαστήρ (gastḗr) (either with oblique ε throughout or original syncopation).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tɛ̌ːr/ → /tir/ → /tir/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tɛ̌ːr/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /te̝r/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /tir/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /tir/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /tir/

Suffix

-τήρ • (-tḗr) m (genitive -τῆρος); third declension

1. Added to verb stems to form masculine agent nouns

   ‎δίδωμι (dídōmi, “(δω-, weak stem δο- to give”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎δωτήρ, δοτήρ (dōtḗr, dotḗr, “a giver”)

   ‎ἐργάζομαι (ergázomai, “to work”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎ἐργαστήρ (ergastḗr, “workman”)

   ‎καθίημι (kathíēmi, “to let down, descend”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎καθετήρ (kathetḗr, “anything let down into”)

   ‎κλύζω (klúzō, “to wash, cleanse”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎κλυστήρ (klustḗr, “a clyster-pipe, syringe”)

   ‎ἵστημι (hístēmi, “(weak stem στα- to stand”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎στατήρ (statḗr, “a weight”)

   ‎χαράσσω (kharássō, “(χαράκ-j- to engrave”) + ‎-τήρ (-tḗr) → ‎χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “an engraver”)

Inflection

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	-τήρ -tḗr	-τῆρε -têre	-τῆρες -têres
Genitive	-τῆρος -têros	-τήροιν -tḗroin	-τήρων -tḗrōn
Dative	-τῆρῐ -têri	-τήροιν -tḗroin	-τῆρσῐ / -τῆρσῐν -têrsi(n)
Accusative	-τῆρᾰ -têra	-τῆρε -têre	-τῆρᾰς -têras
Vocative	-τήρ -tḗr	-τῆρε -têre	-τῆρες -têres
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. * σωτήρ (sōtḗr, “saviour”) has irregular vocative σῶτερ (sôter).

Third declension of -τήρ; -τῆρος (Attic)

Derived terms

Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -τήρ

• -τήριον (-tḗrion)
• -τήριος (-tḗrios)

Descendants

• Greek: -τήρας (-tíras)

See also

• -τής (-tḗs)
• -τωρ (-tōr)

Further reading

• Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920) “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 839.2