1. Α α · A a
first letter of the Gr. alphabet: as Numeral, αʹ = εἷς and πρῶτος, but ͵α = 1,000.
The corpus record
ἆ
a · τό
Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.
Where it lives
- Ichneutae 3 · 17.45/10k
- Rhesus 7 · 13.02/10k
- Prometheus Bound 5 · 8.5/10k
- Bacchae 5 · 6.65/10k
- Orestes 6 · 6.12/10k
- Suppliant Maidens 2 · 4.15/10k
- Heracles 3 · 3.83/10k
- Libation Bearers 2 · 3.72/10k
- Agamemnon 3 · 3.7/10k
- Hecuba 2 · 2.79/10k
- Trachiniae 1 · 1.38/10k
- Judices (cod. Al.) 2 · 1.37/10k
Densest 12 of 20 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.
What it meant — LSJ
2. ἆ · a
exclamation expressing pity, envy, contempt, etc., in Hom. always ἆ δειλέ, ἆ δειλώ, ἆ δειλοί, Il. 11.441, 17.443, Od. 20.351, cf. Thgn. 351, Theoc. Ep. 6; also in Lyr., Archil. 135, and Trag., A. Ag. 1087, etc.; in reproofs or warnings, ἆ, μηδαμῶς . . S. Ph. 1300, cf. OT 1147, E. Hel. 445, etc.:—freq. with adj., ἆ μάκαρ Thgn. 1013, Choeril. 1; ἆ τάλας Semon. 7.76, cf. B. 15.30; ἆ τρισευδαίμων Id. 3.10; rarely alone, Ar. Ra. 759; sts. doubled, ἆ ἆ A. Pr. 114, 566, Ar. V. 1379. —Rare in Prose, Pl.
3. ἃ ἅ · ha ha
ha ha
ha ha, E. Cyc. 157, Pl.Com. 16 (prob. l.), etc.; ἃ ἃ δασυνθὲν γέλωτα δηλοῖ Hsch., Phot., Eust. 855.19.
In the wild
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1087
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1125
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1125
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 1048
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 1048
- ἆ · a Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 114
6 of 61 attestations shown. Ask for more.
Where it came from
- Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. ἆ (scan pp. 48-49; entry #17). Root candidates: *anV-, *worwo-.
- Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ἆ (scan p. 31; entry #12).