Learn Greek › B1 › κύμα
κύμα
wave /ˈci.ma/
nounB1#1248 most common
Also: billow, surge (figurative: a wave of people/events)
Example sentences
Το κύμα είναι μεγάλο.
The wave is big.
Τα παιδιά παίζουν με τα κύματα στη θάλασσα.
The children play with the waves in the sea.
Ένα δυνατό κύμα αναποδογύρισε τη βάρκα.
A strong wave capsized the boat.
Ένα κύμα καύσωνα χτυπάει τη χώρα κάθε καλοκαίρι.
A heatwave hits the country every summer.
Ένα κύμα μεταναστών έφτασε στα νησιά μέσα σε λίγες εβδομάδες.
A wave of migrants arrived on the islands within a few weeks.
Το κύμα εξεγέρσεων που συγκλόνισε τη χώρα άφησε ανεξίτηλα σημάδια στην πολιτική ζωή.
The wave of uprisings that shook the country left indelible marks on political life.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | κύμα | κύματα |
| Genitive | κύματος | κυμάτων |
| Accusative | κύμα | κύματα |
| Vocative | κύμα | κύματα |
Word family
κυματίζωto wave, flutter, undulate
κυματώδηςwavy, choppy
κυματισμόςundulation, rippling
κυματοθραύστηςbreakwater
Etymology
Κύμα comes from Ancient Greek κῦμα, a noun built on the verb κύω/κυέω, meaning to swell or be pregnant. The root sense is a swelling of water, which settled into the ordinary word for a wave. Greek later extended the word to any surge or swell, including crowds and events, much as English uses wave.
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