Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

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SECOND DECLENSION (STEMS IN ο）

[*] 228. O stems in the nominative add -ς to the stem in masculines and feminines; -ν in neuters. The feminines, of which there are few, are declined like the masculines. In the neuters, nominative, vocative, and accusative singular have the same form (in -ο-ν); in the plural these cases end in -α.

[*] 229. TABLE OF THE UNION OF THE CASE ENDINGS WITH THE STEM VOWEL

SINGULAR		DUAL			PLURAL
Masc. and Fem.	Neuter	Masc., Fem., and Neuter			Masc. and Fem.	Neuter
Nom. ο-ς	ο-ν	N. A. V.	ω	Nom.	ο-ι	α^
Gen. ου (for ο-（ι）ο）		G. D.	ο-ιν	Gen.	ων
Dat. ῳ (for ο-ι）				Dat.	ο-ις or ο-ισι（ν）
Acc. ο-ν				Acc.	ους (for ο-νς）	α^
Voc. ε	ο-ν			Voc.	ο-ι	α^

a. Final -οι is treated as short (169).

b. The dat. sing. in -ῳ represents the union of the stem vowel -ο and ai, the original case ending in the I. E. languages. Forms in -οι, as οἴκοι at home, may be locatives (-ο ¨ ι, the locative ending).—The stem vowel ο varies with ε, which appears in the vocative sing., and in πανδημεί (locative) in full force.— N. A. V. dual -ω is for I. E. ōu.—The genitive pl. -ων is due to the union of -ο ¨ ων, which contracted to -ων in the earliest period of the language.—The neuter plural is probably the relic of a feminine collective ending in -α_, which was shortened to -α^.

[*] 230. The dialects show various forms.

[*] 230 D. 1. Gen. sing.—-οιο, the original form, appears in Hom. πολέμοιο. By loss of ι (43) comes -οο, which is sometimes read in Hom. (Αἰόλοο for Αἰόλου κ 36). By contraction of οο comes -ου found in Hom., Ionic, Milder Doric. οο yields ω in Aeolic and Severer Doric (ἵππω).

2. Dual.—-οιιν in Hom. (ἵπποιιν).

3. Dat. pl.—-οισι（ν) Hom., Aeolic, Ionic.

4. Acc. pl.—-ους is from -ον-ς (found in Cretan), that is, the accus. sing. + ς. From -ονς comes -ως Severer Doric, -οις Aeolic, -ος Cretan and in Dor. poetry. -ους is Hom., Ionic, and Milder Doric.

[*] 231.

SINGULAR
	ὁ ἵππος horse	ὁ ἄνθρωπος man	ἡ ὁδός way	τὸ δῶρον gift
	（ἱππο-）	（ἀνθρωπο-）	（ὁδο-）	（δωρο-）
Nom.	ἵππο-ς	ἄνθρωπο-ς	ὁδό-ς	δῶρο-ν
Gen.	ἵππου	ἀνθρώπου	ὁδοῦ	δώρου
Dat.	ἵππῳ	ἀνθρώπῳ	ὁδῷ	δώρῳ
Acc.	ἵππο-ν	ἄνθρωπο-ν	ὁδό-ν	δῶρο-ν
Voc.	ἵππε	ἄνθρωπε	ὁδέ	δῶρο-ν

DUAL
	ὁ ἵππος horse	ὁ ἄνθρωπος man	ἡ ὁδός way	τὸ δῶρον gift
	（ἱππο-）	（ἀνθρωπο-）	（ὁδο-）	（δωρο-）
N. A. V.	ἵππω	ἀνθρώπω	ὁδώ	δώρω
G. D.	ἵπποιν	ἀνθρώποιν	ὁδοῖν	δώροιν

PLURAL
N. V.	ἵπποι	ἄνθρωποι	ὁδοί	δῶρα
Gen.	ἵππων	ἀνθρώπων	ὁδῶν	δώρων
Dat.	ἵπποις	ἀνθρώποις	ὁδοῖς	δώροις
Acc.	ἵππους	ἀνθρώπους	ὁδούς	δῶρα

Masculine: λόγος word, δῆμος people, δοῦλος slave, κίνδυ_νος danger, πόλεμος war; ἀγρός field, ποταμός river, ἀριθμός number. Feminine: νῆσος island, ἤπειρος mainland; ὁ（ἡ) τροφός nurse. Neuter: ἔργον work, πτερόν wing, δεῖπνον dinner.

[*] 232. Feminines.—a. See 197 for νυός daughter-in-law; see 199 for νῆσος island (cp. 200 c), Δῆλος (the island of) Delos, Κόρινθος Corinth, φηγός (acornbearing) oak, ἄμπελος vine.

b. Some are properly adjectives used substantively: διάλεκτος (scil. γλῶττα speech) dialect, διάμετρος (scil. γραμμή line) diameter, αὔλειος (scil. θύρα_ door) house-door, σύγκλητος (scil. βουλή council) legislative body, ἔρημος and ἤπειρος (scil. χώρα_ country) desert and mainland.

c. Words for way: ὁδός and κέλευθος way; and ἁμαξιτός carriage-road, ἀτραπός foot-path, which may be adjectival (b) with ὁδός omitted.

d. Various other words: βάσανος touch-stone, βίβλος book, γέρανος crane, γνάθος jaw, γύψος chalk, δέλτος writing-tablet, δοκός beam, δρόσος dew, κάμι_νος oven, κάρδοπος kneading-trough, κι_βωτός chest, κόπρος dung, ληνός wine-press, λίθος stone (200 c), νόσος disease, πλίνθος brick, ῥάβδος rod, σορός coffin, σποδός ashes, τάφρος trench, χηλός coffer, ψάμμος sand, ψῆφος pebble.

[*] 233. Vocative.—The nominative θεός is used instead of the vocative. ἀδελφός brother retracts the accent (ἄδελφε).

[*] 234. Dative Plural.—The ending -οισι（ν) often appears in poetry, rarely in Attic prose (Plato).

a. In Old Attic inscriptions -οις displaces -οισι（ν) about 444 B.C.