What does aspis mean?
An aspis is the large, round, bronze-faced wooden shield that defined the ancient Greek hoplite warrior. Roughly a metre across and weighing up to seven kilograms, it was strapped to the left forearm and formed the interlocking wall of shields on which phalanx tactics depended; each aspis protected not only its bearer but also the comrade to his left. The word comes directly from the Greek ἀσπίς, meaning shield, and it gave rise to 'asp', the name for a venomous snake — particularly the Egyptian cobra — because of an ancient association between the serpent and the shield. Today 'aspis' appears chiefly in histories of classical warfare, museum descriptions, and discussions of ancient armour, while the snake sense lives on almost entirely through the shorter word it spawned. Knowing the term adds precision and colour to any account of Greek battle formations.
The large circular bronze-covered wooden shield carried by ancient Greek hoplite warriors.
"Reenactors at the festival demonstrated how tightly packed rows of aspis-bearing soldiers formed an unbreakable phalanx."
Usually encountered in historical or archaeological writing; the anglicised plural 'aspises' exists alongside the Greek-style 'aspides'.
A venomous snake of North Africa and the Middle East, especially the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje).
"Ancient accounts claim Cleopatra died from the bite of an aspis."
This sense is now nearly always expressed by the shortened form 'asp'; using 'aspis' for the snake sounds deliberately archaic or learned.
The Greek-derived plural 'aspides' is common in scholarly writing on antiquity; the anglicized 'aspises' also occurs.
"Museum cases displayed several bronze aspides recovered from battlefield sites."
The aspis was so heavy — often over seven kilograms — that losing it in battle was considered such a disgrace that Spartan mothers reportedly told their sons to return 'with it or on it'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aspis
Aspis comes directly from the Ancient Greek ἀσπίς (aspis), meaning 'shield', the word used for the round bronze-faced shield of the hoplite. English borrowed the term for the Greek shield, and the same Greek word underlies 'asp', the name of the venomous snake, which entered English via Latin 'aspis' and Old French. A distant botanical relative is the houseplant aspidistra, whose name derives from the Greek diminutive 'aspidion' (little shield), referring to the shield-like shape of its stigma.
How aspis is actually used
In modern usage, 'aspis' most often appears in historical, archaeological, or military contexts describing ancient Greek warfare; the snake sense survives mainly through its shortened descendant 'asp', with 'aspis' itself sounding scholarly or technical when applied to the serpent.
Easily confused with aspis
An asp is specifically the snake itself (ultimately derived from 'aspis'), whereas an aspis in its primary sense is the Greek warrior's shield.
Aspic is a savoury meat jelly used in cooking, unrelated in meaning to the Greek shield despite the similar spelling.