What does it mean word for word?
λύκος is a masculine noun of the second declension, one of the most common and regular Greek noun patterns.
Which one should you use?
The adjective λύκειος describes anything associated with wolves, including an epithet of Apollo, Λύκειος, connecting the god to the animal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
λύκος is used in every register, from fables and everyday remarks about animals to serious poetry and cult titles for Apollo.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word and its related forms are stable throughout Greek literature, appearing in fables attributed to Aesop among many other sources.
How does it change in a sentence?
λύκος declines regularly: genitive λύκου, dative λύκῳ, accusative λύκον, the same pattern as ἄνθρωπος and many other nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
λύκος stresses the first syllable, with an upsilon pronounced close to a French u, 'LY-kos'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Confusing λύκος, 'wolf', with λόγος, 'word, reason', is an easy early slip for beginners, since the words look similar at a glance.
When do people say it?
Aesop's fables, widely read in the Greek world, frequently feature the wolf as a cunning or dangerous figure, cementing the animal's symbolic role in Greek storytelling.
Did you know?
- Apollo carried the epithet Λύκειος in several Greek cults, linking the god to the wolf, though scholars still debate whether the title came from the animal or from an older word for light.
- The wolf appears often in fables attributed to Aesop, usually as a clever or threatening figure outwitted or defeated through cunning.
Examples in context
- ὁ λύκος τὸ πρόβατον διώκει.ho lykos to probaton diokei.The wolf chases the sheep.
- λύκοι ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν οἰκοῦσιν.lykoi en tois oresin oikousin.Wolves live in the mountains.
- ὁ ποιμὴν τὸν λύκον φοβεῖται.ho poimen ton lykon phobeitai.The shepherd fears the wolf.
Example conversation
A shepherd boy named Korydon warns his younger sister Ino about wolves near their flock.
- Korydonλύκος ἐγγὺς τῶν προβάτων ἐστίν.lykos engys ton probaton estin.A wolf is near the sheep.
- Inoφοβοῦμαι τὸν λύκον.phoboumai ton lykon.I am afraid of the wolf.
- Korydonφυλάξωμεν τὰ πρόβατα.phylaxomen ta probata.Let us guard the sheep.
- Inoκαλῶς, μετὰ σοῦ μενῶ.kalos, meta sou meno.Good, I will stay with you.
