βοῦς

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Ancient Greek[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷous (compare Mycenaean Greek 𐀦𐀃 (qo-o)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws. Cognates include Old English (English cow), Irish , Latin bōs, and Sanskrit गो ().

Pronunciation[edit]

 

Noun[edit]

βοῦς (boûsm or f (genitive βοός); third declension

  1. cow, ox, cattle
  2. shield
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 7.238–239:
      οἶδ’ ἐπὶ δεξιά, οἶδ’ ἐπ’ ἀριστερὰ νωμῆσαι βῶν
      ἀζαλέην, τό μοι ἔστι ταλαύρινον πολεμίζειν·
      oîd’ epì dexiá, oîd’ ep’ aristerà nōmêsai bôn
      azaléēn, tó moi ésti talaúrinon polemízein;
      I know on the right, and I know on the left how to wield my dried
      shield, which to me seems sturdy in fighting:

Usage notes[edit]

  • The sense 'shield' is explained in a scholium to Iliad 7.238 as follows:
    ὅτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι δερμάτων συνεκδοχικῶς τὸ ὅπλον ('because the shield is made of successive bovine skins')

Inflection[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

(shield): αἰγίς (aigís), ἀσπίδιον (aspídion), ἀσπίς (aspís), βοάγριον (boágrion), κρίγδανον (krígdanon), πέλτη (péltē), ῥῑνός (rhīnós), σάκος (sákos), σκοῦτα (skoûta)

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]