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φανάρι
traffic light /faˈnari/
nounC1#4046 most common
Also: lantern, lamp, lighthouse lamp
Example sentences
Το φανάρι είναι κόκκινο.
The traffic light is red.
Περίμενε, το φανάρι είναι κόκκινο.
Wait, the light is red.
Στρίψε δεξιά μετά το φανάρι.
Turn right after the traffic light.
Ο ναύτης άναψε το φανάρι στην πλώρη του καϊκιού.
The sailor lit the lantern on the bow of the boat.
Τα φανάρια της παλιάς πόλης φώτιζαν αμυδρά τα στενά σοκάκια.
The old town's lanterns dimly lit the narrow alleys.
Το τρεμάμενο φως του φαναριού καθρεφτιζόταν στα σκοτεινά νερά του λιμανιού, δίνοντας μια μελαγχολική όψη στη σκηνή.
The lantern's flickering light was reflected on the harbor's dark waters, giving the scene a melancholic look.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | φανάρι | φανάρια |
| Genitive | φαναριού | φαναριών |
| Accusative | φανάρι | φανάρια |
| Vocative | φανάρι | φανάρια |
Word family
φανόςtorch, lamp
φαναρτζήςlamp repairer; colloquially, an auto body repairman
φαίνομαιto appear, to seemφανερόςevident, clearEtymology
Φανάρι comes from the Byzantine Greek φανάριον, a diminutive of φανός, meaning torch or light. Φανός in turn derives from the verb φαίνω, to shine or appear. Over time the word settled on its main modern senses: a hanging lantern, and by extension the traffic light, since early traffic signals resembled small lamps.
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