βραχίων

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From βρᾰχῠ́ς (brăkhŭ́s, “short”) +‎ -ίων (-íōn), because the upper arm is shorter than the forearm.

Pronunciation

For the noun, and for the adjective in Attic:

 

• IPA^(key): /bra.kʰǐː.ɔːn/ → /βraˈçi.on/ → /vraˈçi.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bra.kʰǐː.ɔːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /braˈkʰi.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βraˈçi.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vraˈçi.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vraˈçi.on/

For the adjective in Ionic:

 

• IPA^(key): /bra.kʰí.ɔːn/ → /βraˈçi.on/ → /vraˈçi.on/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bra.kʰí.ɔːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /braˈkʰi.on/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βraˈçi.on/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /vraˈçi.on/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /vraˈçi.on/

Noun

βρᾰχῑ́ων • (brăkhī́ōn) m (genitive βρᾰχῑ́ονος); third declension

1. upper arm
2. shoulder
3. (poetic) a symbol of strength

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ βρᾰχῑ́ων; τοῦ βρᾰχῑ́ονος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ βρᾰχῑ́ων ho brăkhī́ōn	τὼ βρᾰχῑ́ονε tṑ brăkhī́one	οἱ βρᾰχῑ́ονες hoi brăkhī́ones
Genitive	τοῦ βρᾰχῑ́ονος toû brăkhī́onos	τοῖν βρᾰχῑόνοιν toîn brăkhīónoin	τῶν βρᾰχῑόνων tôn brăkhīónōn
Dative	τῷ βρᾰχῑ́ονῐ tōî brăkhī́onĭ	τοῖν βρᾰχῑόνοιν toîn brăkhīónoin	τοῖς βρᾰχῑ́οσῐ / βρᾰχῑ́οσῐν toîs brăkhī́osĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰ tòn brăkhī́onă	τὼ βρᾰχῑ́ονε tṑ brăkhī́one	τοὺς βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰς toùs brăkhī́onăs
Vocative	βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon	βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one	βρᾰχῑ́ονες brăkhī́ones
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• πρυμνὸς βρᾰχῑ́ων (prumnòs brăkhī́ōn, “shoulder”)

Descendants

• → Latin: bracchium (see there for further descendants)
• Translingual: ⇒ Eubrachion, → Brachionus

Adjective

βρᾰχίων • (brăkhíōn) m or f (neuter βρᾰχίον); third declension

1. comparative degree of βρᾰχῠ́ς (brăkhŭ́s): shorter

Declension

Third declension of βρᾰχῑ́ων; βρᾰχῖον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		βρᾰχῑ́ων brăkhī́ōn	βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon		βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one	βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one		βρᾰχῑ́ονες / βρᾰχῑ́ους brăkhī́ones / brăkhī́ous	βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰ / βρᾰχῑ́ω brăkhī́onă / brăkhī́ō
Genitive		βρᾰχῑ́ονος brăkhī́onos	βρᾰχῑ́ονος brăkhī́onos		βρᾰχῑόνοιν brăkhīónoin	βρᾰχῑόνοιν brăkhīónoin		βρᾰχῑόνων brăkhīónōn	βρᾰχῑόνων brăkhīónōn
Dative		βρᾰχῑ́ονῐ brăkhī́onĭ	βρᾰχῑ́ονῐ brăkhī́onĭ		βρᾰχῑόνοιν brăkhīónoin	βρᾰχῑόνοιν brăkhīónoin		βρᾰχῑ́οσῐ / βρᾰχῑ́οσῐν brăkhī́osĭ(n)	βρᾰχῑ́οσῐ / βρᾰχῑ́οσῐν brăkhī́osĭ(n)
Accusative		βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰ / βρᾰχῑ́ω brăkhī́onă / brăkhī́ō	βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon		βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one	βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one		βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰς / βρᾰχῑ́ους brăkhī́onăs / brăkhī́ous	βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰ / βρᾰχῑ́ω brăkhī́onă / brăkhī́ō
Vocative		βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon	βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon		βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one	βρᾰχῑ́ονε brăkhī́one		βρᾰχῑ́ονες / βρᾰχῑ́ους brăkhī́ones / brăkhī́ous	βρᾰχῑ́ονᾰ / βρᾰχῑ́ω brăkhī́onă / brăkhī́ō
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		βρᾰχῖον brăkhîon			—			—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of βρᾰχῐ́ων; βρᾰχῐ́ον (Ionic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		βρᾰχῐ́ων brăkhĭ́ōn	βρᾰχῐ́ον brăkhĭ́on		βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one	βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one		βρᾰχῐ́ονες brăkhĭ́ones	βρᾰχῐ́ονᾰ brăkhĭ́onă
Genitive		βρᾰχῐ́ονος brăkhĭ́onos	βρᾰχῐ́ονος brăkhĭ́onos		βρᾰχῐόνοιν brăkhĭónoin	βρᾰχῐόνοιν brăkhĭónoin		βρᾰχῐόνων brăkhĭónōn	βρᾰχῐόνων brăkhĭónōn
Dative		βρᾰχῐ́ονῐ brăkhĭ́onĭ	βρᾰχῐ́ονῐ brăkhĭ́onĭ		βρᾰχῐόνοιν brăkhĭónoin	βρᾰχῐόνοιν brăkhĭónoin		βρᾰχῐ́οσῐ / βρᾰχῐ́οσῐν brăkhĭ́osĭ(n)	βρᾰχῐ́οσῐ / βρᾰχῐ́οσῐν brăkhĭ́osĭ(n)
Accusative		βρᾰχῐ́ονᾰ brăkhĭ́onă	βρᾰχῐ́ον brăkhĭ́on		βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one	βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one		βρᾰχῐ́ονᾰς brăkhĭ́onăs	βρᾰχῐ́ονᾰ brăkhĭ́onă
Vocative		βρᾰχῐ́ον brăkhĭ́on	βρᾰχῐ́ον brăkhĭ́on		βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one	βρᾰχῐ́ονε brăkhĭ́one		βρᾰχῐ́ονες brăkhĭ́ones	βρᾰχῐ́ονᾰ brăkhĭ́onă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		βρᾰχῐ́ον brăkhĭ́on			—			—
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Further reading

Further reading

• “βρᾰχίων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press (noun)
• “βρᾰχίων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press (adjective)
• “βραχίων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “βραχίων”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• βραχίων in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• βραχίων in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• βραχίων in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• G1023 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• βραχίων in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007), Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 40
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “βραχίων, -ονος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 236