μέγαρον

Ancient Greek

In the "sacred pit" sense, borrowed from Semitic, perhaps with influence from the "hall" sense; compare Arabic مَغَارَة (maḡāra, “cave”), Hebrew מְעָרָה (məʿārâ, “cave”), Ugaritic 𐎎𐎙𐎗𐎚 (mġrt, “cave”).^[1] See also Latin māgālia (“huts”).

In the "hall" sense, borrowed from Pre-Greek, albeit influenced in form and meaning by μέγας (mégas, “big, large”).^[2]

μέγᾰρον • (mégăron) n (genitive μεγᾰ́ρου); second declension

large room, hall
(in the plural) house, palace
sanctuary, shrine
tomb
(in the plural) pits sacred to Demeter and Persephone, into which young pigs were let down in the Thesmophoria

Second declension of τὸ μέγᾰρον; τοῦ μεγᾰ́ρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μέγᾰρον tò mégăron	τὼ μεγᾰ́ρω tṑ megắrō	τᾰ̀ μέγᾰρᾰ tằ mégără
Genitive	τοῦ μεγᾰ́ρου toû megắrou	τοῖν μεγᾰ́ροιν toîn megắroin	τῶν μεγᾰ́ρων tôn megắrōn
Dative	τῷ μεγᾰ́ρῳ tōî megắrōi	τοῖν μεγᾰ́ροιν toîn megắroin	τοῖς μεγᾰ́ροις toîs megắrois
Accusative	τὸ μέγᾰρον tò mégăron	τὼ μεγᾰ́ρω tṑ megắrō	τᾰ̀ μέγᾰρᾰ tằ mégără
Vocative	μέγᾰρον mégăron	μεγᾰ́ρω megắrō	μέγᾰρᾰ mégără
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of μέγᾰρον; μεγᾰ́ρου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	μέγᾰρον mégăron	μεγᾰ́ρω megắrō	μέγᾰρᾰ mégără
Genitive	μεγᾰ́ρου / μεγᾰροῖο / μεγᾰ́ροιο / μεγᾰρόο / μεγᾰ́ροο megắrou / megăroîo / megắroio / megăróo / megắroo	μεγᾰ́ροιν / μεγᾰ́ροιῐν megắroi(ĭ)n	μεγᾰ́ρων megắrōn
Dative	μεγᾰ́ρῳ megắrōi	μεγᾰ́ροιν / μεγᾰ́ροιῐν megắroi(ĭ)n	μεγᾰ́ροισῐ / μεγᾰ́ροισῐν / μεγᾰ́ροις megắroisĭ(n) / megắrois
Accusative	μέγᾰρον mégăron	μεγᾰ́ρω megắrō	μέγᾰρᾰ mégără
Vocative	μέγᾰρον mégăron	μεγᾰ́ρω megắrō	μέγᾰρᾰ mégără
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μέγαρα 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 917
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μέγαρον 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 917