σῆμα

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See also: σήμα

Ancient Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *dʰyéh₂mn̥, from *dʰyeh₂- (to notice) (though Beekes is skeptical of the semantics). Cognate with Sanskrit ध्यायति (dhyāyati, think of, imagine), ध्यान (dhyāna, meditation).[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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σῆμᾰ (sêman (genitive σήμᾰτος); third declension

  1. mark, sign, token
    1. a sign from the gods, an omen, portent
    2. a sign to begin something, watchword, signal, banner
    3. the sign by which a grave is known, mound, cairn, barrow
    4. a mark to show the case of a quoit or javelin
    5. a token by which one's identity or commission was certified
    6. a constellation

Declension

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Derived terms

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  • σημαίνω (sēmaínō)
  • σημεῖον (sēmeîon)
  • French: sémaphore (modern coinage)

References

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  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σῆμα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1323

Further reading

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