Σύρτις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain, but possibly from συρτός (surtós, “swept, dragged along”), from σῡ́ρειν (sū́rein, “to drag along”) after the proverbially treacherous effect of the wind and the waves on the quicksand of the area. The figurative sense of "destruction" derives from the difficulty of navigating the gulfs due to shoreward drag produced.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sýr.tis/ → /ˈsyr.tis/ → /ˈsir.tis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sýr.tis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsyr.tis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsyr.tis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsyr.tis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsir.tis/

Proper noun

Σῠ́ρτῐς • (Súrtis) f (genitive Σῠ́ρτεως or Σῠ́ρτῐος); third declension

1. Gulf of Sidra (a gulf of the Mediterranean, Libya)
   • Herodotus, History, Book II, ch. 32, §2:

     τὸ δὲ ἔθνος τοῦτο ἐστὶ μὲν Λιβυκόν, νέμεται δὲ τὴν Σύρτιν τε καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἠῶ χώρην τῆς Σύρτιος οὐκ ἐπὶ πολλόν.

2. Gulf of Gabes (a gulf of the Mediterranean, Libya)
   • Strabo, Geography, Book XVII, ch. 3:

     Συνεχὴς δ’ἐστὶν ἡ μικρὰ σύρτις, ἣν καὶ Λωτοφαγῖτιν σύρτιν λέγουσιν.

3. Sirte (a city in Libya)

Declension

Third declension of ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς; τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς hē Súrtis
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως tês Súrteōs
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτει têi Súrtei
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Súrtin
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Súrti
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς; τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς hē Súrtis
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος tês Súrtios
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτῑ têi Súrtī
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Súrtin
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Súrti
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• Μεγάλη Σύρτις (Megálē Súrtis)
• Μικρὰ Σύρτις (Mikrà Súrtis)

 

Noun

Σῠ́ρτῐς • (Súrtis) f (genitive Σῠ́ρτεως or Σῠ́ρτῐος); third declension

1. destruction, ruin
   • ἄλλα δ’ ἄλλαν θραῦεν σύρτις (Timotheus Fragmenta, ed. D.L. Page, Poetae melici Graeci, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1962, 1967, 400‑418; fragment 15, line 88)

Declension

Third declension of ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς; τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς hē Súrtis	τὼ Σῠ́ρτει tṑ Súrtei	αἱ Σῠ́ρτεις hai Súrteis
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως tês Súrteōs	τοῖν Σῠρτέοιν toîn Surtéoin	τῶν Σῠ́ρτεων tôn Súrteōn
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτει têi Súrtei	τοῖν Σῠρτέοιν toîn Surtéoin	ταῖς Σῠ́ρτεσῐ / Σῠ́ρτεσῐν taîs Súrtesi(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Súrtin	τὼ Σῠ́ρτει tṑ Súrtei	τᾱ̀ς Σῠ́ρτεις tā̀s Súrteis
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Súrti	Σῠ́ρτει Súrtei	Σῠ́ρτεις Súrteis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς; τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ Σῠ́ρτῐς hē Súrtis	τὼ Σῠ́ρτῐε tṑ Súrtie	αἱ Σῠ́ρτῐες hai Súrties
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος tês Súrtios	τοῖν Σῠρτῐ́οιν toîn Surtíoin	τῶν Σῠρτῐ́ων tôn Surtíōn
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτῑ têi Súrtī	τοῖν Σῠρτῐ́οιν toîn Surtíoin	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν Σῠ́ρτῐσῐ / Σῠ́ρτῐσῐν têisi(n) Súrtisi(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Súrtin	τὼ Σῠ́ρτῐε tṑ Súrtie	τᾱ̀ς Σῠ́ρτῑς / Σῠ́ρτῐᾰς tā̀s Súrtīs / Súrtias
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Súrti	Σῠ́ρτῐε Súrtie	Σῠ́ρτῐες Súrties
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Descendants

• Greek: Σύρτη (Sýrti)
• Latin: Syrtis
  • French: Syrte
  • Italian: Sirte
    • English: Sirte
    • German: Sirte
    • Spanish: Sirte
• Arabic: سرت (Sirt)

References

• “Σύρτις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• G4950 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon.
• John Lemprière, A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of all the proper names mentioned in ancient authors; with the value of coins, weights and measures, used among the Greeks and Romans; and a chronological table (1827), p. 790.