# -ης
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *-ēs, from masculine *-s over *-os ~ -es- neuter substantive nouns. Afterwards used freely.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɛːs/ → /is/ → /is/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /ɛːs/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /e̝s/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /is/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /is/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /is/

### Suffix

-ης • (-ēs) m or f (neuter -ες); third declension
* Forms third-declension adjectives with stems in -εσ- (-es-); very common in compounds.
    ‎γένος (génos, “offspring, kind”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-γενής (-genḗs, “genes”)
    ‎εἶδος (eîdos, “form, appearance”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-ειδής (-eidḗs, “-eides”)
    ‎κλέος (kléos, “fame, glory”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-κλεής (-kleḗs, “-klees”)
    ‎κρᾰ́τος (krắtos, “might”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-κρᾰτής (-krătḗs, “-crates”)
    ‎ἀ- (a-) + ‎ληθ- (lēth-) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎ᾰ̓ληθής (ălēthḗs)
    ‎μένος (ménos, “might”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-μενής (-menḗs, “-menes”)
    ‎πλῆθος (plêthos, “multitude”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-πληθής (-plēthḗs, “-plethes”)
    ‎σθένος (sthénos, “strength”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-σθενής (-sthenḗs, “-sthenes”)
    ‎φᾰ́ος (phắos, “light”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-φαής (-phaḗs, “-phaes”)

#### Declension
### Suffix

-ης • (-ēs) m (genitive -ους or -εος); third declension
* Forms third-declension proper nouns.
    ‎κλέος (kléos, “fame, glory”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-κλέης (-kléēs, “-klees”) → -κλῆς (-klês)
    ‎κρᾰ́τος (krắtos, “might”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎Κρᾰ́της (Krắtēs), -κρᾰ́της (-krắtēs)
    ‎μένος (ménos, “might”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-μένης (-ménēs, “-menes”)
    ‎σθένος (sthénos, “strength”) + ‎-ης (-ēs) → ‎-σθένης (-sthénēs, “-sthenes”)

#### Declension
### References

* Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
* Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920) “Part III: Formation of Words”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 858.5

## Greek
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /is/

### Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of masculine nouns)
* ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns, deriving from ancient 1st declension
** in -ης, -η, plural -ες, -ών, e.g. ναύτης (náftis, “sailor”) < ναύτης
** in -ής, -ή, plural -ές, -ών, e.g. μαθητής (mathitís, “student”) < μαθητής
* ending of parisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient 3rd declension
** in -ης, -η, plural -εις, -εων e.g. λάτρης (látris, “worshipper”) < λάτρις (“servant -of god”), μάντης (mántis, “seer”) < μάντις, πρύτανης (prýtanis, “rector”) < πρύτανις (“ruler”)
* ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns deriving from ancient -ιος, -ειος
** in -ης, plural -ηδες e.g. κύρης (kýris, “master”) < κύριος, Βασίλης (Vasílis, “Basel”) < Βασίλειος
** in -ής, plural -ήδες (rare) e.g. πεταλωτής (petalotís, “farrier”) < πεταλώνω from Hellenistic πεταλῶ < ancient πέταλον
* ending of imparisyllabic masculine nouns borrowed from Turkish -cı.
** in -τζής plural -τζήδες e.g. καφετζής (kafetzís, “café owner or waiter”) < Turkish kahveci

### Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of adjectives)
* ending of formal adjectives in -ης, -ης, -ες or -ής, -ής, -ές deriving from the corresponding ancient 3rd declension
    e.g. πλήρης (plíris, “full”) < πλήρης, αήθης (aḯthis, “immoral”) < ἀήθης
* ending of adjectives in -ης, -α, -ικο deriving from Medieval Greek
    e.g. ζηλιάρης (ziliáris, “jealous”)
* ending of adjectives in -άρης (-áris) plural -άρηδες borrowed from Latin -ārius.
    e.g. ταβερνιάρης (taverniáris, “taverna owner”)
* ending of adjectives in -ής, -ιά, -ί and indeclinable -ί, borrowed from Turkish -i (-ι, -u, -ü) and extended to -ής, -ιά, -ί, mainly for names of colours
    e.g. λεμονής (lemonís, “lemon”), καφετής (kafetís, “brownish”)
*   * examples: ασημής ("silver"), καφετής, πορτοκαλής - Charalambakis, Chistoforos et al. (2014) Χρηστικό λεξικό της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας (Christikó lexikó tis neoellenikís glóssas) [A Practical Dictionary of Modern Greek] (in Greek) Athens: Academy of Athens. (online since 2023 - abbreviations - symbols)

### Suffix

-ης • (-is) f (inflectional feminine form)
* genitive singular ending of feminine nouns and adjectives ending in -η deriving from ancient genitive -ης or -ῆς
    e.g. της φίλης f (fílis, “friend (female)”) < τῆς φίλης
    e.g. της μουσικής f (mousikís, “music”) < τῆς μουσικῆς

### Suffix

-ης • (-is) (ending of adverbs)
* adverbs in -ής deriving from genitive feminine ending, Hellenistic or Medieval -ῆς.
    e.g. επικεφαλής (epikefalís, “in charge”), καταγής (katagís, “down on the ground”)

### Suffix

-ης • (-is) (obsolete inflectional verb ending)
* ending of 2nd person, singular, subjunctive used until the 1960s, deriving from its ancient -ῃς (-ēis) equivalent
    να λύνεις (na lýneis, “to untie, solve”), or λύεις < να λύνης < ἵνα λύῃς

#### Usage notes

The dated subjunctive endings -ης$^{2ndsingular}$, -η$^{3rdsingular}$, -ωμεν$^{1stplural}$ may be found in grammar books for Modern Greek published before 1976, when they were reedited to the identically-pronounced indicative endings -εις, -ει, -ουμε/-ομε as Demotic Greek became the official language of education in Greece.

### Further reading

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