How do you interpret the given definitions in English to Attic Greek Dictionaries?

[malolosgreencat]

This here is a point of curiosity that has been bothering me for some time now since two weeks ago.

So, you have this here dictionary, like S.C. Woodhouse's (https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/Woodhouse/)(https://archive.org/details/englishgree ... 3/mode/2up). You look for an English word and then start to look up the Attic Words.

But now, are the words as given in the dictionary stems that I have to decline or already declined words, which you have to pick the...one nearest to what you wanted?

In case of the latter, do you have to backtrack to what the stem is, and then start again with your desired endings?

If not, what process do you folks do to be sure that whenever you consult these dictionaries, you are sure you get the right word you wanted? Have an Attic Greek to English dictionary besides the English to Attic Dictionary?

[bedwere]

The compiler of a dictionary cannot possibly put a table with the declension of each word or adjective nor one with the conjugation of each verb. It is up to the reader to know the grammar.

[malolosgreencat]

The compiler of a dictionary cannot possibly put a table with the declension of each word or adjective nor one with the conjugation of each verb. It is up to the reader to know the grammar.

So that means it is the latter? That the words given as a definition for the English word in the entries were already declined?

[bedwere]

Woodhouse gives you the nominative of a substantive, the masculine nominative of an adjective, the present infinitive of a verb. The rest is up to you.

[malolosgreencat]

Woodhouse gives you the nominative of a substantive, the masculine nominative of an adjective, the present infinitive of a verb. The rest is up to you.

I see. Thanks.

[seanjonesbw]

It's worth pointing out if this is new to you that the verbs being in the infinitive in Woodhouse is the unusual thing - when you look them up in a Greek-English dictionary you'll find them as present active indicative first person singular. So λύειν is given by Woodhouse but the headword in a Greek-English dictionary would be λύω. It's good practice to turn one into the other but if you're finding it difficult www.lsj.gr lets you search Woodhouse in English and then click the Greek word to get to the Liddell and Scott entry for the headword.

If you copy and paste the headword at the top into Google you will usually get a Wiktionary page that has the declension (nouns and adjectives) or conjugation (verbs) of the word in a drop-down box. Even better is to be able to do that in your head for any given word, but small is the gate and narrow the way.