μήρινθος
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
- σμήρινθος (smḗrinthos)
Etymology
The suffix is similar to ἐρέβινθος (erébinthos), ὑάκινθος (huákinthos) and λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos), so it is probably a Pre-Greek word. Adaptation to μηρύομαι (mērúomai, “to draw up, to furl”) has also been assumed, however there is little reason for this. Maybe related to μῆριγξ (mêrinx, “bristle”).
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /mɛ̌ː.rin.tʰos/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈme̝.rin.tʰos/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈmi.rin.θos/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈmi.rin.θos/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈmi.rin.θos/
Noun
μήρινθος • (mḗrinthos) f (genitive μηρίνθου); second declension
- cord, line, string
- fishing line
Inflection
Second declension of ἡ μήρινθος; τῆς μηρίνθου (Attic)
Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ἡ μήρινθος hē mḗrinthos | τὼ μηρίνθω tṑ mērínthō | αἱ μήρινθοι hai mḗrinthoi | ||||||||||
Genitive | τῆς μηρίνθου tês mērínthou | τοῖν μηρίνθοιν toîn mērínthoin | τῶν μηρίνθων tôn mērínthōn | ||||||||||
Dative | τῇ μηρίνθῳ têi mērínthōi | τοῖν μηρίνθοιν toîn mērínthoin | ταῖς μηρίνθοις taîs mērínthois | ||||||||||
Accusative | τὴν μήρινθον tḕn mḗrinthon | τὼ μηρίνθω tṑ mērínthō | τᾱ̀ς μηρίνθους tā̀s mērínthous | ||||||||||
Vocative | μήρινθε mḗrinthe | μηρίνθω mērínthō | μήρινθοι mḗrinthoi | ||||||||||
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Descendants
- Greek: μήρινθος (mírinthos)
Further reading
- “μήρινθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- μήρινθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN