# λέων
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

Many ancient languages possessed similar words for lion, including Akkadian 𒌨 (labbu) (reconstructed to Proto-Semitic *labiʾ-). It is unclear how they are related and who borrowed from whom. The ultimate source is likely not Indo-European, however.
The τ (t) in the stem λεοντ- (leont-) was influenced by the present participle. The original stem was *λεον- (*leon-), as shown by λέαινα (léaina, “female lion”) and Latin leō. If the stem were originally λεοντ- (leont-), the feminine form would be *λέουσα (*léousa).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /lé.ɔːn/ → /ˈle.on/ → /ˈle.on/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /lé.ɔːn/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈle.on/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈle.on/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈle.on/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈle.on/

### Noun

λέων • (léōn) m (genitive λέοντος); third declension
* lion
** 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, The Statesman 291a.9:πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ λέουσι τῶν ἀνδρῶν εἴξασι καὶ Κενταύροις καὶ τοιούτοισιν ἑτέροιςpolloì mèn gàr léousi tôn andrôn eíxasi kaì Kentaúrois kaì toioútoisin hetérois
* (astrology) Leo, the zodiacal sign
* lionheart, savage (one having the characteristics of a lion (positive or negative): savage, noble, or brave)

#### Usage notes

Alternative forms of the dative plural include λείουσι (leíousi) (late Epic) and λεόντεσσι (leóntessi).

#### Derived terms

* θῡμολέων (thūmoléōn)
* Λέανδρος (Léandros)
* λεοντάριον (leontárion)
* λεοντοπέτᾰλον (leontopétălon)
* λεόπαρδος (leópardos)
* Λέων (Léōn)
* Λεωνῐ́δᾱς (Leōnĭ́dās)
* Τῑμολέων (Tīmoléōn)
* χᾰμαιλέων (khămailéōn)

#### Descendants

* → Coptic: ⲗⲉⲱⲛ (leōn)
* → Greek: λέων (léon) (learned)
* → Latin: leō (see there for further descendants)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λέων, -οντος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 854

### Further reading

* “λέων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “λέων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “λέων”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* λέων in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
* λέων in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “λέων”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G3023 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited. leon idem, page 485.lion idem, page 493.
* Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

## Greek
### Alternative forms

* λέοντας (léontas) (variant with modern suffix)
* λιοντάρι (liontári) (standard)

### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn) from the accusative singular τὸν (tòn) λέοντα (léonta). Also see λέοντας m (léontas), λιόντας m (lióntas), λεοντάρι n (leontári) & λιοντάρι n (liontári).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈle.on/
* Hyphenation: λέ‧ων

### Noun

λέων • (léon) m (plural λέοντες, feminine λέαινα)
* (learned) form of λιοντάρι (liontári) (in set phrases and learned terms)
    η Πύλη των Λεόντων στις Μυκήνες ― i Pýli ton Leónton stis Mykínes ― the Lion Gate at Mycenae
* (learned, figurative) brave man
* for the constellation and the given name, see Λέων (Léon)

#### Declension

Compare to the declension of λέοντας (léontas).

#### Related terms

expressions
* ένας, αλλά λέων! (énas, allá léon!, “one, but a lion!”)
* εξ όνυχος τον λέοντα (ex ónychos ton léonta), Ancient Greek ἐξ ὀνύχων λέοντα (ex onúkhōn léonta)
* λάκκος των λεόντων m (lákkos ton leónton, “pit of lions”)
* μερίδα του λέοντος f (merída tou léontos, “lion's share”)
with λέων or λεοντ-
* λεονταρισμός m (leontarismós)
* λεόντειος (leónteios, “leonine”)
* λεοντή f (leontí, “lionskin”)
* λεοντίαση f (leontíasi, “leontiasis”)
* λεοντιδέας m (leontidéas)
* λεοντόκαρδος (leontókardos, “lionheart”)
* λεοντοκεφαλή f (leontokefalí, “lion's head”)
* χαμαιλεοντίζω (chamaileontízo)
* χαμαιλέων (chamailéon), χαμαιλέοντας m (chamailéontas, “chameleon”)
with λιοντ-, see: λιοντάρι (liontári)

### Further reading

* λέων, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language