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φίδι

snake /ˈfiði/

nounB1#1870 most common

Also: serpent

Example sentences

Το φίδι είναι μακρύ.
The snake is long.
Είδα ένα φίδι στον κήπο.
I saw a snake in the garden.
Φοβάμαι πολύ τα φίδια.
I am very afraid of snakes.
Το δηλητήριο του φιδιού είναι επικίνδυνο.
The snake's venom is dangerous.
Ο δρόμος στρίβει σαν φίδι μέσα στο βουνό.
The road winds like a snake through the mountain.
Στη μυθολογία, το φίδι συμβολίζει συχνά και τη σοφία και την προδοσία.
In mythology, the snake often symbolizes both wisdom and betrayal.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeτο φίδιτα φίδια
Genitiveτου φιδιούτων φιδιών
Accusativeτο φίδιτα φίδια
Vocativeφίδιφίδια

Word family

φιδάκιlittle snake
φιδίσιοςsnakelike, sinuous
φιδωτόςwinding, serpentine (of a road or path)
ὄφιςsnake (ancient/learned form, root of 'ophidian')

Etymology

φίδι descends from the ancient Greek ὀφίδιον, a diminutive of ὄφις, the standard ancient word for snake. Over time the initial unstressed syllable dropped and the diminutive form took over as the everyday word, while ὄφις survived mainly in learned and scientific compounds. The shift from ὄφις to φίδι is a common pattern in Greek, where a diminutive gradually replaces its parent noun in ordinary speech.

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