ἅλς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἅλας (hálas) — Koine

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *hāls, from Proto-Indo-European *séh₂ls (“salt”). Cognates include Sanskrit सलिल (salila), Old Armenian աղ (ał), Latin sāl, and Old English sealt (English salt).^[1]

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /háls/ → /als/ → /als/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /háls/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)als/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /als/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /als/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /als/

Noun

ᾰ̔́λς • (hắls) m (genitive ᾰ̔λός); third declension

1. salt
2. brine
3. wit

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̔́λς ho hắls	οἱ ᾰ̔́λες hoi hắles
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̔λός toû hălós	τῶν ᾰ̔λῶν tôn hălôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̔λῐ́ tôi hălĭ́	τοῖς ᾰ̔λσῐ́ / ᾰ̔́λᾰσῐν toîs hălsĭ́ / hắlăsĭn
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̔́λᾰ tòn hắlă	τοὺς ᾰ̔́λᾰς toùs hắlăs
Vocative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Irregular declension of ὁ ᾰ̔́λς; τοῦ ᾰ̔λός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Genitive	ᾰ̔λός hălós	ᾰ̔λῶν hălôn
Dative	ᾰ̔λῐ́ hălĭ́	ᾰ̔́λεσσῐ hắlessĭ
Accusative	ᾰ̔́λᾰ hắlă	ᾰ̔́λᾰς hắlăs
Vocative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Irregular declension of ᾰ̔́λς; ᾰ̔λός (Epic)

Derived terms

• ἅλας (hálas)
• ἅλινος (hálinos)

 

Descendants

• ⇒ Koine Greek: ἁλάτιον (halátion) (diminutive)
  • Byzantine Greek: ἁλάτιν (halátin)
    • Greek: αλάτι (aláti)
• Mariupol Greek: а́лас (álas)
• → English: halo-
• → Greek: άλας (álas) (learned)

Noun

ᾰ̔́λς • (hắls) f (genitive ᾰ̔λός); third declension

1. sea

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̔́λς hē hắls	αἱ ᾰ̔́λες hai hắles
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̔λός tês hălós	τῶν ᾰ̔λῶν tôn hălôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̔λῐ́ têi hălĭ́	ταῖς ᾰ̔λσῐ́ / ᾰ̔́λᾰσῐν taîs hălsĭ́ / hắlăsĭn
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̔́λᾰ tḕn hắlă	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̔́λᾰς tā̀s hắlăs
Vocative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Irregular declension of ἡ ᾰ̔́λς; τῆς ᾰ̔λός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Genitive	ᾰ̔λός hălós	ᾰ̔λῶν hălôn
Dative	ᾰ̔λῐ́ hălĭ́	ᾰ̔́λεσσῐ hắlessĭ
Accusative	ᾰ̔́λᾰ hắlă	ᾰ̔́λᾰς hắlăs
Vocative	ᾰ̔́λς hắls	ᾰ̔́λες hắles
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Irregular declension of ᾰ̔́λς; ᾰ̔λός (Epic)

Derived terms

• ἅλαδε (hálade)
• ἁλιεύς (halieús)
• ἅλῐος (hálĭos)
• ἐνάλιος (enálios)
• παράλιος (parálios)
• πάραλος (páralos)

 

References

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἅλς , ἁλός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 74-5

Further reading

• “ἅλς (A)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἅλς (B)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἅλς”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἅλς”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἅλς in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ἅλς in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἅλς in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἅλς”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G251 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.
  • brine idem, page 99.
  • deep idem, page 203.
  • salt idem, page 732.
  • sea idem, page 744.