γυνή
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- βανά (baná) – Boeotian
- γυνά (guná) – Doric
Etymology
From Proto-Hellenic *gʷonā, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn (“woman”). Cognates include Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀙𐀊 (ku-na-ja), Sanskrit ग्ना (gnā́), जनि (jáni), Old Armenian կին (kin), and Old English cwēn (English queen).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ɡy.nɛ̌ː/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ɡyˈne̝/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ʝyˈni/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ʝyˈni/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ʝiˈni/
Noun
γῠνή • (gunḗ) f (genitive γῠναικός); third declension
- woman, female
- 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 329:
- Γυναῖκα γὰρ δὴ συμπονεῖν γυναικὶ χρή.
- Gunaîka gàr dḕ sumponeîn gunaikì khrḗ.
- A woman ought to help a woman.
- Γυναῖκα γὰρ δὴ συμπονεῖν γυναικὶ χρή.
- Palladas :
- Πᾶσα γυνὴ χόλος ἐστὶν· ἔχει δ’ ἀγαθὰς δύο ὥρας, τὴν μίαν ἐν θαλάμῳ, τὴν μίαν ἐν θανάτῳ.
- Pâsa gunḕ khólos estìn; ékhei d’ agathàs dúo hṓras, tḕn mían en thalámōi, tḕn mían en thanátōi.
- Every woman is an annoyance. She has two good times: one in the bedroom, one in death.
- Πᾶσα γυνὴ χόλος ἐστὶν· ἔχει δ’ ἀγαθὰς δύο ὥρας, τὴν μίαν ἐν θαλάμῳ, τὴν μίαν ἐν θανάτῳ.
- wife
Inflection
Irregular declension of ἡ γῠνή; τῆς γῠναικός (Attic)
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ἡ γῠνή hē gunḗ | τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke | αἱ γῠναῖκες hai gunaîkes | ||||||||||
Genitive | τῆς γῠναικός tês gunaikós | τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gunaikoîn | τῶν γῠναικῶν tôn gunaikôn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῇ γῠναικί têi gunaikí | τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gunaikoîn | ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gunaixí(n) | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὴν γῠναῖκᾰ tḕn gunaîka | τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke | τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gunaîkas | ||||||||||
Vocative | γύναι gúnai | γῠναῖκε gunaîke | γῠναῖκες gunaîkes | ||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Irregular declension of ᾱ̔ γῠνά; τᾶς γῠναικός (Doric)
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ᾱ̔ γῠνά hā guná | τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke | ταὶ γῠναῖκες taì gunaîkes | ||||||||||
Genitive | τᾶς γῠναικός tâs gunaikós | τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gunaikaîn | τᾶν γῠναικᾶν tân gunaikân | ||||||||||
Dative | τᾷ γῠναικί tâi gunaikí | τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gunaikaîn | ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gunaixí(n) | ||||||||||
Accusative | τᾱ̀ν γῠναῖκᾰ tā̀n gunaîka | τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke | τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gunaîkas | ||||||||||
Vocative | γύναι gúnai | γῠναῖκε gunaîke | γῠναῖκες gunaîkes | ||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Antonyms
- ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man, male”)
Derived terms
- καλλιγύναιξ (kalligúnaix)
Descendants
- Greek (Modern & varieties):
- ⇒ Greek: γυναίκα (gynaíka)
- ⇒ Tsakonian: γουναίκα (gounaíka)
Further reading
- “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “γυνή”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- γυνή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- γυνή in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- γυνή in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
- G1135 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- consort idem, page 164.
- dame idem, page 194.
- lady idem, page 473.
- matron idem, page 518.
- spouse idem, page 805.
- wife idem, page 978.
- woman idem, page 986.