Σύρτις

Ancient Greek

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Syrtis

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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 • (Sŭ́rtĭs) 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 Sŭ́rtĭs
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως tês Sŭ́rteōs
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτει tēî Sŭ́rtei
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Sŭ́rtĭn
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Sŭ́rtĭ
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 Sŭ́rtĭs
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος tês Sŭ́rtĭos
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτῑ tēî Sŭ́rtī
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Sŭ́rtĭn
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Sŭ́rtĭ
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 • (Sŭ́rtĭs) 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 Sŭ́rtĭs	τὼ Σῠ́ρτει tṑ Sŭ́rtei	αἱ Σῠ́ρτεις hai Sŭ́rteis
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτεως tês Sŭ́rteōs	τοῖν Σῠρτέοιν toîn Sŭrtéoin	τῶν Σῠ́ρτεων tôn Sŭ́rteōn
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτει tēî Sŭ́rtei	τοῖν Σῠρτέοιν toîn Sŭrtéoin	ταῖς Σῠ́ρτεσῐ / Σῠ́ρτεσῐν taîs Sŭ́rtesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Sŭ́rtĭn	τὼ Σῠ́ρτει tṑ Sŭ́rtei	τᾱ̀ς Σῠ́ρτεις tā̀s Sŭ́rteis
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Sŭ́rtĭ	Σῠ́ρτει Sŭ́rtei	Σῠ́ρτεις Sŭ́rteis
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 Sŭ́rtĭs	τὼ Σῠ́ρτῐε tṑ Sŭ́rtĭe	αἱ Σῠ́ρτῐες hai Sŭ́rtĭes
Genitive	τῆς Σῠ́ρτῐος tês Sŭ́rtĭos	τοῖν Σῠρτῐ́οιν toîn Sŭrtĭ́oin	τῶν Σῠρτῐ́ων tôn Sŭrtĭ́ōn
Dative	τῇ Σῠ́ρτῑ tēî Sŭ́rtī	τοῖν Σῠρτῐ́οιν toîn Sŭrtĭ́oin	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν Σῠ́ρτῐσῐ / Σῠ́ρτῐσῐν tēîsĭ(n) Sŭ́rtĭsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν Σῠ́ρτῐν tḕn Sŭ́rtĭn	τὼ Σῠ́ρτῐε tṑ Sŭ́rtĭe	τᾱ̀ς Σῠ́ρτῑς / Σῠ́ρτῐᾰς tā̀s Sŭ́rtīs / Sŭ́rtĭăs
Vocative	Σῠ́ρτῐ Sŭ́rtĭ	Σῠ́ρτῐε Sŭ́rtĭe	Σῠ́ρτῐες Sŭ́rtĭes
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.