Elementary Greek Grammar: PART II: INFLECTION: NUMERALS

§ 76.

The cardinal and ordinal numeral adjectives, and the numeral adverbs which occur, are as follows:—

Above 10,000, δύο μυριάδες, 20,000, τρεῖς μυριάδες, 30,000, &c. were used.

Note. The dialects have the following peculiar forms: — 1–4. See § 77, Note 1. Epic τρίτατος, τέτρατος. 12. Doric and Ionic δυώδεκα; Poetic δυοκαίδεκα. 20. Epic ἐείκοσι; Doric εἴκατι. 30, 80, 200, 300. Ionic τριήκοντα, ὀγδώκοντα, διηκόσιοι, τριηκόσιοι. 40. Herod. τεσσερήκοντα.

§ 77.

1. The cardinal numbers εἷς, one, δύο, two, τρεῖς, three, and τέσσαρες (or τέτταρες), four, are thus declined: —

Note 1. Homer has fem. ἴᾱ, ἰῆς, &c., for μία; and ἴῳ for ἑνί. Homer has δύω for δύο, and forms δοῦ, δοιοί (declined regularly). For δυεῖν, δυῶν, δυοῖσι, and other forms, see the Lexicon. Δύο is sometimes indeclinable. Herodotus has τέσσερες, and the poets have τέτρασι.

Note 2. The compounds οὐδείς and μηδείς, no one, none, are declined like εἷς. Thus, οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν; gen. οὐδενός, οὐδεμιᾶς; dat. οὐδενί, οὐδεμιᾷ; acc. οὐδένα, οὐδεμίαν, οὐδέν, &c. Plural forms sometimes occur; as οὐδένες, οὐδένων, οὐδέσι, οὐδένας, μηδένες, &c. When οὐδέ or μηδέ is separated from εἷς (as by a preposition or by ἄν), the negative is more emphatic; as ἐξ οὐδενός, from no one; οὐδ᾽ ἐξ ἑνός, from not even one.

Note 3. Both is expressed by ἄμφω, ambo, ἀμφοῖν; and by ἀμφότερος, generally plural, ἀμφότεροι, αι, α.

2. The cardinal numbers from 5 to 100 are indeclinable. The higher numbers in ιοι and all the ordinals are declined regularly, like other adjectives in ος.

Note 1. When τρεῖς καὶ δέκα and τέσσαρες καὶ δέκα are used for 13 and 14, the first part is declined. In ordinals we may say τρίτος καὶ δέκατος, &c.

Note 2. (a) In compound expressions like 21, 22, &c., 31, 32, &c., 121, 122, &c., the numbers can be connected by καί in either order; but if καί is omitted, the larger precedes. Thus, εἷς καὶ εἴκοσι, one and twenty, or εἴκοσι καὶ εἷς, twenty and one; but (without καί) only εἴκοσιν εἷς, twenty-one. (b) The numbers 18 and 19, 28 and 29, 38 and 39, &c. are often expressed by ἑνὸς (or δυοῖν) δέοντες εἴκοσι (τριάκοντα, τεσσαράκοντα, &c.); as ἔτη ἑνὸς δέοντα τριάκοντα, 29 years.

Note 3. With collective nouns in the singular, especially ἡ ἵππος, cavalry, the numerals in σιοι sometimes appear in the singular; as τὴν διακοσίαν ἵππον, the (troop of) 200 cavalry (200 horse); ἀσπὶς μυρία καὶ τετρακοσία (Xen. An. i. 7, 10), 10,400 shields (i.e. men with shields). Μύριοι means ten thousand; μυρίοι, innumerable. Μύριος sometimes has the latter sense; as μυρίος χρόνος, countless time; μυρία πενία, incalculable poverty. For μυρία as numeral, see above.

Note 4. The Greeks often expressed numbers by letters; the two obsolete letters, Vau and Koppa, and the character San, denoting 6, 90, and 900. (See § 1, N. 2.) The last letter in a numerical expression has an accent above. Thousands begin anew with α, with a stroke below. Thus, ͵αωξηʹ, 1868; ͵βχκεʹ, 2625; ͵δκεʹ, 4025; ͵βγʹ, 2003; φμʹ, 540; ρδʹ, 104. (See § 76, second column.)

Note 5. The letters of the ordinary Greek alphabet are often used to number the books of the Iliad and Odyssey, each poem having twenty-four books.