κοντός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From the o-grade κοντ‑ of the root κεντ‑ underlying κεντέω, -ῶ (kentéō, -ô, “prick”), κέντρον (kéntron, “centre”).

The Hellenistic Koine "short" sense is derived from the ancient "pole" sense, which referred to shorter kinds of spears, poles, hence "(short) pole" > "shortness". Compare κοντοφόρος (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”) in contrast to δορῠφόρος (doruphóros, “carrying a (long) spear”).

Not related to ἀκόντιον (akóntion, “javelin”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kon.tós/ → /konˈtos/ → /konˈdos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kon.tós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /konˈtos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /konˈdos/

Adjective

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντόν); first/second declension (Koine)

1. short

   Synonym: βρᾰχῠ́ς (brakhús)

Inflection

First and second declension of κοντός; κοντή; κοντόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		κοντός kontós	κοντή kontḗ	κοντόν kontón		κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ		κοντοί kontoí	κονταί kontaí	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Genitive		κοντοῦ kontoû	κοντῆς kontês	κοντοῦ kontoû		κοντοῖν kontoîn	κονταῖν kontaîn	κοντοῖν kontoîn		κοντῶν kontôn	κοντῶν kontôn	κοντῶν kontôn
Dative		κοντῷ kontôi	κοντῇ kontêi	κοντῷ kontôi		κοντοῖν kontoîn	κονταῖν kontaîn	κοντοῖν kontoîn		κοντοῖς kontoîs	κονταῖς kontaîs	κοντοῖς kontoîs
Accusative		κοντόν kontón	κοντήν kontḗn	κοντόν kontón		κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ		κοντούς kontoús	κοντᾱ́ς kontā́s	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Vocative		κοντέ konté	κοντή kontḗ	κοντόν kontón		κοντώ kontṓ	κοντᾱ́ kontā́	κοντώ kontṓ		κοντοί kontoí	κονταί kontaí	κοντᾰ́ kontá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		κοντῶς kontôs				κοντότερος kontóteros				κοντότᾰτος kontótatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Alternative forms

• κονδός (kondós)

Descendants

• Medieval and Modern Greek: κοντός (kontós) (sense: short)

Noun

κοντός • (kontós) m (genitive κοντοῦ); second declension

1. pole
2. pike
3. (medicine) (in plural): crutch
4. goad

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ κοντός; τοῦ κοντοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ κοντός ho kontós	τὼ κοντώ tṑ kontṓ	οἱ κοντοί hoi kontoí
Genitive	τοῦ κοντοῦ toû kontoû	τοῖν κοντοῖν toîn kontoîn	τῶν κοντῶν tôn kontôn
Dative	τῷ κοντῷ tôi kontôi	τοῖν κοντοῖν toîn kontoîn	τοῖς κοντοῖς toîs kontoîs
Accusative	τὸν κοντόν tòn kontón	τὼ κοντώ tṑ kontṓ	τοὺς κοντούς toùs kontoús
Vocative	κοντέ konté	κοντώ kontṓ	κοντοί kontoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
• κοντᾰριοθήκη f (kontariothḗkē, “spear-case”)
• κονταφόρος m (kontaphóros), κοντοφόρος m (kontophóros, “carrying a (short) pole”)
• κόντῐλος (kóntilos, diminutive) (obscure sense)
• κοντοβολέω, ῶ (kontoboléō, ô, “strike with a pole”)
• κοντοκῠνηγέσιον n (kontokunēgésion, “hunt with pikes”)
• κοντοπαίκτης m (kontopaíktēs, “acrobat on a pole”)
• κοντοπλεύριον n (kontopleúrion, “short side”) (usually in plural)
• κοντοπορεία f (kontoporeía, “short road”)
• κόντωσις f (kóntōsis, “fishing with a pole”)
• κοντωτῐ́της m (kontōtítēs, “puntsman”)
• κοντωτός (kontōtós, “furnished with a pole”)

Descendants

• ⇒ Ancient Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion, diminutive)
  • Medieval Byzantine Greek: κοντάριον (kontárion), κοντάριν
    • Modern Greek: κοντάρι (kontári), κοντός (noun)
• → Latin: contus
• → Arabic: قُنْطَرِيَّة (qunṭariyya)

See also

• Also see the different etymological field of ἀκόντιον n (akóntion, “javelin”)

Further reading

• “κοντός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “κοντός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “κοντός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• κοντός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette

Greek

Etymology

• Sense pole: from Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) (noun).
• Sense short: from the Hellenistic Koine Greek κοντός (kontós, “short”) (adjective) from the ancient sense Ancient Greek κοντός (“pole”) which referred to shorter kinds of poles, hence the sense shortness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konˈdos/
• Hyphenation: κο‧ντός

Adjective

κοντός • (kontós) m (feminine κοντή, neuter κοντό)

1. short (in height)

Declension

Comparative κοντύτερος (kontýteros) & (and κοντότερος); no absolute superlative

Declension of κοντός

number  case \ gender	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	κοντός •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντοί •	κοντές •	κοντά •
genitive	κοντού •	κοντής •	κοντού •	κοντών •	κοντών •	κοντών •
accusative	κοντό •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντούς •	κοντές •	κοντά •
vocative	κοντέ •	κοντή •	κοντό •	κοντοί •	κοντές •	κοντά •
derivations	Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο κοντός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο κοντός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	κοντύτερος •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτεροι •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
genitive	κοντύτερου •	κοντύτερης •	κοντύτερου •	κοντύτερων •	κοντύτερων •	κοντύτερων •
accusative	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτερους •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
vocative	κοντύτερε •	κοντύτερη •	κοντύτερο •	κοντύτεροι •	κοντύτερες •	κοντύτερα •
derivations	relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο κοντύτερος", etc)

Synonyms

• βραχύς (vrachýs, “short, brief”)
• βραχύσωμος (vrachýsomos, “with short body”)

Derived terms

• κοντά (kontá, “near”, adverb)
• κονταίνω (kontaíno, “shorten”)
• κοντεύω (kontévo)
• κοντινός (kontinós, “nearby, adjacent, close”)
• κοντο- (konto-, “short-”) compounds

See also

• απότομος (apótomos, “short conversationally”)
• λιγοστός (ligostós, “short, scarce”)
• μικρός (mikrós, “short in length”)
• σύντομος (sýntomos, “short in time”)

Noun

κοντός • (kontós) m

1. (formal) pole

   Synonym: κοντάρι (kontári)

Declension

Declension of κοντός

	singular	plural
nominative	κοντός •	κοντοί •
genitive	κοντού •	κοντών •
accusative	κοντό •	κοντούς •
vocative	κοντέ •	κοντοί •

Derived terms

• άλμα επί κοντώ n (álma epí kontó, “pole vault”)