Μέγαιρα

See also: μέγαιρα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From μεγαίρω (megaírō, “to grudge, to envy”).

This was the name of one of the Furies or Ἐρινύες (Erinúes, “Erinyes”) in Greek mythology. The name is used as a word in several European languages to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered woman. Compare French mégère, Italian megera and Sicilian majara.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mé.ɡai̯.ra/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ɡɛ.ra/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ʝɛ.ra/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ʝe.ra/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ʝe.ra/

Proper noun

Μέγαιρα • (Mégaira) f (genitive Μέγαιρας); first declension

(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) One of the Erinyes/Dirae, (Furies, the goddesses of envy and jealousy who induced to commit crimes, such as marital infidelity.
Coordinate terms: Ἀληκτώ (Alēktṓ), Τισιφόνη (Tisiphónē)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ Μέγαιρᾰ; τῆς Μεγαίρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Μέγαιρᾰ hē Mégairă
Genitive	τῆς Μεγαίρᾱς tês Megaírās
Dative	τῇ Μεγαίρᾳ tēî Megaírāi
Accusative	τὴν Μέγαιρᾰν tḕn Mégairăn
Vocative	Μέγαιρᾰ Mégairă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Greek: μέγαιρα (mégaira) (learned)
Latin: Megaera
- French: Mégère, mégère
  - → Greek: μέγαιρα (mégaira) (semantic loan)
  - → Russian: меге́ра f (megéra)
- Italian: Megera, megera
- Ukrainian: меге́ра f (mehéra)
Sicilian: magara, majara, mavara