εἴκοσι

A. twenty, Il. 2.510,748, etc.; in Hom. more freq. in Ep. form ἐείκοσι, before a vowel ἐείκοσιν, 1.309, 6.217, al.; Dor. vίκατι Leg.Gort. 4.13, etc.; vείκατι Tab.Heracl. 2.71; Lacon. βείκατι Hsch.; εἴκατι IG 9(1).693.10 (Corc.), Theoc. 4.10, 5.86. (Orig. vίκατι and Ἐvίκοσι, whence ἐείκοσι in Hom.; vείκατι and εἴκατι are late spellings of (v)ίκατι; εἴκοσι is contr. from Ἐvίκοσι. Cf. Lat. vīginti, Skt. viṃśatis. εἴκοσιν is the only form used by Ar., whether before vowels or consonants (εἴκοσ’ ἀπολογίζεται is dub. in Fr. 465); also (before consonants) Herod. 3.91, Phld. Piet. 3, etc., but not common in Inscrr. or Pap., e.g. (before consonants) Schwyzer 707 B 2 (Ephesus, vi B. C.), IG 2.804.155 (iv B.C.), (before a vowel) PGrenf. 2.75.7 (iv A. D.); εἴκοσι ἔτη, εἴκοσι ἡμερῶν, IG 12.94,49.)