STEMS IN SIGMA (ες, ας, ος）
[*] 263. Stems in sigma are contracted where
ς falls out between the vowel of the stem and the vowel of the ending (
120). Thus,
γένος race, gen.
γενε（
ς）
-ος γένους, dat.
γενε（
ς）
-ι γένει, cp. Lat.
genus gener-is (for
genes-is),
gener-i.
a. The masculine and feminine accusative plural, when it is contracted, borrows the form of the contracted nominative plural.
-εις is not derived from
-εας. In the dative plural the union of
ς of the stem and
ς of the ending produces
σς, which is reduced to
ς without lengthening the preceding vowel (
107).
b. Masculine stems in
ες with the nominative in
-ης are proper names; the feminine
τριήρης trireme is an adjective used substantively (properly,
triply fitted; ἡ τριήρης (
ναῦς) ‘ship with three banks of oars’).
c. Neuters with stems in
ες have
-ος in the nominative, accusative, and vocative singular; neuters with stems in
ας have
-ας in these cases.
d. Some stems in
ας have also a stem in
ατ or
α_τ (
258).
[*] 264.
Διογένης Diogenes,
Ἱπποκράτης Hippocrates. Neuters:
ἔτος year,
εὖρος width,
ξίφος sword,
τεῖχος wall,
γῆρας old age,
κρέας flesh (for
κέρας horn see
258).
a. Proper names in
-ης have recessive accent in the vocative.
b. Proper names in
-γένης, -κράτης, -μένης, -φάνης, etc., may have an accus. in
-ην derived from the first declension. Thus,
Σωκράτην, Ἀριστοφάνην, like
Ἀτρείδην (
222,
282 N.). But names in
-κλῆς (
265) have only
-εα_.
c. Proper names in
-ης often show
-εος, -εα in the lyric parts of tragedy.
d. Neuters in
-ος often show open forms (especially
-εων) in Attic poetry.
-εων is frequent in Xenophon.
e. τριήροιν and
τριήρων have irregular accent by analogy to the other forms.
f. A preceding
ρ does not prevent the contraction of
εα to
η, as
ὄρη from
τὸ ὄρος mountain (cp.
31. 1).
g. The dat. sing. of
ας stems is properly
-α^ι; but
-ᾳ is often written on the authority of the ancient grammarians. This
ᾳ may possibly be due to the analogy of
ᾳ in
α_ stems.
[*] 264 D. 1. Hom. uses the open or the closed forms according to convenience.
-ευς occurs in the gen. of a few words in
-ος (
βέλευς);
-εων is often a monosyllable (
60), as is the accus. sing. and pl.
-εα from nom.
-ης or
-ος. Hdt. has open
-εος, -εα, -εες (?),
-εα. In the dat. pl. Hom. has
βέλεσσι, βέλεσι, and
βελέεσσι (250 D. 2) from
βέλος missile.
2. Stems in
ας are generally uncontracted in Hom. (
γήραος, γήραϊ), but we find
-αι in the dat. sing.,
κρεῶν and
κρειῶν in the gen. pl. In the nom. and acc. pl.
α is short (
γέρα^), and this is sometimes the case even in Attic poetry (
κρέα^). The explanation is obscure (
γέρα^ does not stand for
γέρα᾽). Hom. has
δέπασσι and
δεπάεσσι (
δέπας cup).
3. In Hom. and Hdt. several words in
-ας show
ε for
α before a vowel (cp.
ὁρέω in Hdt. for
ὁράω). Hom.:
οὖδας ground,
οὔδεος, οὔδεϊ and
οὔδει; κῶας fleece,
κώεα, κώεσι; Hdt.:
γέρας, γέρεος, but
κρέας, κρέως, κρεῶν. In Attic poetry:
βρέτας image,
βρέτεος, βρέτει, etc. Cp. 258 D.
[*] 265. When
-εσ- of the stem is preceded by
ε, the forms are inflected as follows:
τὸ δέος fear (
δεεσ-),
Περικλῆς from
Περικλέης Pericles (
Περικλεεσ-):
a. After
ε, εα contracts to
α_ (
56). On the contraction of
-εεος, see
55.
b. δέος is uncontracted because the form was originally
δε[ιγλιδε]ος (
58).
[*] 265 D. Hom. has
κλέα (for
κλέα᾽?), and from
-κλῆς:
-ῆος, -ῆι; Hdt.:
-έος (for
-έεος),
-έϊ, -εα^. For
-ῆος, -ῆα the open
-έεος, -έεα may be read. Attic poetry often has the open forms
-έης (also in prose inscrip.),
-έει, -εες.
