Greek words ending in -φος and -χος: vowel length, accentuation patterns, place names (Κύφος, Δελφοί, Κόλχος), adjectival formation and examples.
ὀρνέου, ζόφος, δνόφος, γνόφος, γρῖφος, ψῆφος. τὸ δὲ κρυφός καὶ συφός ἔχει τὸ 'υ' βραχὺ σημαίνοντα τοπικὴν ἔννοιαν. τὸ δὲ κῦφος τὸ 'κυ' μακρόν, ὡς καὶ τὸ τῦφος. τὸ δὲ Κύφος παῖς Περραιβοῦ, ἀφ´ οὗ Κύφος πόλις Περραιβίας, ἔστι καὶ ποταμὸς Κύφος— «Γουνεὺς δ´ ἐκ Κύφου ἦγε δύω καὶ εἴκοσι νῆας» (Il. Β 748)— βραχὺ ἔχον τὸ 'υ' παροξύνεται. τὸ δὲ ἀλφός τὸ σωματικὸν πάθος καὶ πολφός ὄψον τι ἔχουσι τὸ 'λ' ὡς καὶ τὸ Δελφοί πόλις ἐπὶ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ πρὸς τῇ Φωκίδι καὶ τὸ ἐθνικὸν ὁμοφώνως τῇ πόλει—ἐκλήθησαν δὲ Δελφοί, ὅτι Ἀπόλλων συνέπλευσε δελφῖνι εἰκασθείς. τὰ δὲ ἐπίθετα ὀξύνεται, σοφός, κυφός, κωφός, οἷς ἠκολούθησε καὶ τὸ τροφός. τὸ δὲ κοῦφος προπερισπᾶται. Τὰ εἰς 'φος' ὑπερδισύλλαβα ἁπλᾶ μὴ δηλοῦντα ἐνέργειαν προπαροξύνεται, κρόταφος, ἔλαφος, σκίραφος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν ἀκόλαστον καὶ κυβευτήν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν Σκίρῳ διατριβόντων, Ἔπαφος, Κέρκαφος Ἡλίου παῖς, Τέκταφος ὁ Δώρου τοῦ Ἕλληνος, κόλαφος, ἀσκάλαφος, ἔριφος, Σέριφος μία τῶν Σποράδων, Ἄντιφος, Τήλεφος Τάρχωνος πατήρ, Αἴγης καὶ Τεύθραντος υἱός, ἄργυφος ὁ λευκός, κόσσυφος, Κόττυφος, Σίσυφος, κόρυφος, Κίνυφος ὁ ποταμός. τὸ δὲ ἀδελφός ὀξύνεται καὶ ἴσως ὡς τριγενές. τὰ γὰρ λοιπὰ μονογενῆ. καὶ τὰ ἐνέργειαν δηλοῦντα παροξύνεται, πορφυροβάφος, ὑποδηματορράφος καὶ ἱπποτρόφος. Τὰ εἰς 'χος' δισύλλαβα μὴ ὄντα ἐπιθετικὰ βαρύνεται, κόλχος καὶ Κόλχος, βρόγχος, μόσχος καὶ Μόσχος ἔθνος προσεχὲς τοῖς Ματιηνοῖς. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. κόγχος, τρόχος ὁ τόπος ἐν ᾧ τρέχουσι ὡς παρ´ Εὐριπίδῃ ἐν Μηδείᾳ ( 46)
ὀρνέου, ζόφος, δνόφος, γνόφος, γρῖφος, ψῆφος. But κρυφός and συφός have the υ short, signifying a local sense. But κῦφος has the κυ long, as also τῦφος. But Κύφος, the son of Περραιβός, from whom Κύφος, a city of Περραιβία, is named—there is also the river Κύφος— “and Γουνεύς from Κύφος led two and twenty ships” (Il. Β 748)—having the υ short, is accented with an acute on the penult. But ἀλφός, the bodily affection, and πολφός, a kind of relish, have λ, as also Δελφοί, a city on Παρνασσός in Φωκίς, and the ethnic name, with the same sound as the city; and they were called Δελφοί because Ἀπόλλων sailed with them, having taken the likeness of a δελφίς. But the adjectives are accented with an acute, σοφός, κυφός, κωφός, to which τροφός also has been added. But κοῦφος is accented with a circumflex on the antepenult. The simple words in -φος of more than two syllables, not signifying activity, are accented with an acute on the antepenult: κρόταφος, ἔλαφος, σκίραφος, which means the licentious man and dice-player, from those who spend their time in Σκῖρος; Ἔπαφος, Κέρκαφος, son of Ἥλιος; Τέκταφος, son of Δῶρος the son of Ἕλλην; κόλαφος, ἀσκάλαφος, ἔριφος, Σέριφος, one of the Σποράδες; Ἄντιφος; Τήλεφος, father of Τάρχων, son of Αἴγης and Τεύθρας; ἄργυφος, ‘the white’; κόσσυφος; Κόττυφος; Σίσυφος; κόρυφος; Κίνυφος, the river. But ἀδελφός is accented with an acute, and perhaps as being of three genders; for the rest are of one gender. And those signifying activity are accented with an acute on the penult: πορφυροβάφος, ὑποδηματορράφος, and ἱπποτρόφος. The disyllables in -χος that are not adjectival are accented with a grave: κόλχος and Κόλχος, βρόγχος, μόσχος and Μόσχος, a people neighboring the Ματιηνοί. Ἑκαταῖος, in his Ἀσία. κόγχος; τρόχος, the place in which they run, as in Εὐριπίδης in the Μήδεια ( 46).