Patterns for Feminine Modern Greek Nouns

Note: this page belongs to a set of pages on Modern Greek noun patterns

All existent patterns for feminine-gender nouns in Modern Greek are listed below. Each pattern includes as examples one noun stressed on the ultima (last syllable), one stressed on the penult (second syllable from the end), and one stressed on the antepenult (third syllable from the end). If one or more of these three cases is missing, then there is no such example of stressing within that pattern in the language.

Pattern for nouns ending in -α / -ες, -ών:
 

Pattern for nouns ending in -α / -ες, -ων:
 

Note: the only difference between this pattern and the previous one (see above), is in the genitive of the plural. In the previous pattern, the stress in the plural genitive descends on the ultima (e.g., των ωρών, των θαλασσών), whereas in this pattern the stress either remains on the penult (των αγελάδων), or descends at most up to the penult (των ποσοτήτων). The reason for the existence of this pattern is that these nouns used to have a shorter ending in -ς (i.e., η αγελάς, η ποσότης), belonging to the so-called “third declension” in older and ancient Greek. In modern Greek their ending changed, dropping the -ς and acquiring an extra -δα or -τα, thus making them appear very much like the nouns of the more common pattern -α / -ες (above), revealing their different origin only through the plural genitive. (This also explains why there can be no such noun stressed on the ultima.) The word for “Greece” in Greek is another such case (η Ελλάδα, from η Ελλάς — you can still see the latter form used occasionally).

Pattern for nouns ending in -η / -ες:
 

(1) Not necessarily sexual love (the latter is έρωτας). Αγάπη is more general and may apply to any relation characterized by affection.

(2) A more common form of this noun is κάμαρα, following the pattern ending in -α. Actually, the author doubts there is any true noun of this pattern with the stress on the antepenult (third syllable from the end). Nouns like ζάχαρη (sugar), listed under “antepenult-2”, were added to the pattern “-η / -ες” to avoid making a new entry for them, because they differ only in the plural genitive, which ends in -εων and retains the stress on the antepenult. Other nouns like ζάχαρη are θύμηση (reminiscence) and σίκαλη (rye). These nouns (contrary to κάμαρη) come from corresponding ancient/obsolete forms ending in -ις: ζάχαρη < σάκχαρις, θύμηση < ενθύμησις, σίκαλη < σίκαλις. Their plural genitive retains their ancient/obsolete form because its usage is so rare that it was not regularized by “erosion”. (E.g., some native speakers might say των ζάχαρων, but they will do so only tongue-in-cheek, and will probably stumble, not knowing what form to use.) Nouns like ζάχαρη (σάκχαρις), etc., belonged to the so-called “third declension” in older and ancient Greek (see also the footnote of the previous pattern).
 

Pattern for nouns ending in -η / -εις:
 

Pattern for nouns ending in -ος:
 

(3) Some grammarians would insist the plural is μέθοδες. Actually very few people use this latter form. Specifically, only 0.22% for μέθοδες, as opposed to 99.78% for μέθοδοι (2006). Forms such as οδές and λεωφόρες are practically nonexistent (2006).

Pattern for nouns ending in -ου:
 

Pattern for nouns ending in -έας / είς: ⁽⁴⁾
 

(4) Note: this is the feminized version of the masculine pattern in -έας / -είς (see also note under it on the ancient pattern in -ευς). This pattern is nearly identical to its masculine version, except that in genitive singular it has retained its ancient form. Such feminization has occurred in other masculine endings too, in cases where an originally 100% male occupation was turned to partly male/partly female, such as η δικαστής (judge, fem.), η ιατρός (medical doctor, fem.), etc., or even to mostly female, as is the case for η γραμματέας (see above), η ταμίας (cashier, fem.), etc.

Pattern for nouns ending in -ίας / ίες:
 

Note 4, above, applies here as well.

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