μαλάχη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

μολόχη (molókhē), μολάχη (molákhē)
μάλβακα (málbaka) (acc.sg.)

Etymology

Uncertain. Likely related to or the sources of Latin malva, Middle Armenian բաղբակ (bałbak) and Georgian ბალბა (balba). Suggested to be from a Semitic source; compare Hebrew מַלּוּחַ‎ (mallū́aḥ, “saltbush”), Aramaic מַלוּחָא‎ / ܡܲܠܘܼܚܵܐ‎ (mallūḥā, “saltbush”), Arabic مُلَّاح‎ (mullāḥ, “seepweed”), however these are of the Amaranthaceae family instead of the Malvaceae and have been pointed towards without acquaintance with the Armenian and Georgian.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ma.lá.kʰɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /maˈla.kʰe̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /maˈla.çi/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /maˈla.çi/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /maˈla.çi/

Noun

μαλάχη • (malákhē) f (genitive μαλάχης); first declension

mallow

Declension

First declension of ἡ μαλάχη; τῆς μαλάχης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μαλάχη hē malákhē	τὼ μαλάχᾱ tṑ malákhā	αἱ μαλάχαι hai malákhai
Genitive	τῆς μαλάχης tês malákhēs	τοῖν μαλάχαιν toîn malákhain	τῶν μαλαχῶν tôn malakhôn
Dative	τῇ μαλάχῃ têi malákhēi	τοῖν μαλάχαιν toîn malákhain	ταῖς μαλάχαις taîs malákhais
Accusative	τὴν μαλάχην tḕn malákhēn	τὼ μαλάχᾱ tṑ malákhā	τᾱ̀ς μαλάχᾱς tā̀s malákhās
Vocative	μαλάχη malákhē	μαλάχᾱ malákhā	μαλάχαι malákhai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

δενδρομαλάχη (dendromalákhē)

Descendants

⇒ Greek: μολόχα (molócha)
Italiot Greek: μολόχι
Pontic Greek: μολόχ̌ι (molóši)
→ Middle Armenian: մօլօխ (mōlōx), մոլոշ (mološ)
→ Old Georgian: მოლოქი (moloki), მოლოქაჲ (molokay), მალოქი (maloki)
- Georgian: მოლოქა (moloka), მოლოქი (moloki)

References

Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1977), “մոլոշ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume III, 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 340b
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
Lewy, Heinrich (1895) Die semitischen Fremdwörter im Griechischen (in German), Berlin: R. Gaertner’s Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 31
Löw, Immanuel (1916), “Schachtelhalm und Schwaden”, in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung (in German), volume 19, issue 12, column 353–356
Löw, Immanuel (1924) Die Flora der Juden‎ (in German), volume 2, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, page 232