μελάνθριξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

μέλᾱς (mélās, “black”, neuter: μέλᾰν (mélăn)) +‎ θρῐ́ξ (thrĭ́x, “hair”, genitive: τρῐχός (trĭkhós))

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /me.lán.tʰriks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.tʰriks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/

Adjective

μελᾰ́νθρῐξ • (melắnthrĭx) m or f (genitive μελᾰνότρῐχος, no neuter); third declension

black-haired
- 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates of Kos, Epidemics 1.19:^[1]
  πλῆθος μὲν οὖν τῶν νοσημάτων ἐγένετο. ἐκ δὲ τῶν καμνόντων ἀπέθνῃσκον μάλιστα μειράκια, νέοι, ἀκμάζοντες, λεῖοι, ὑπολευκόχρωτες, ἰθύτριχες, μελανότριχες, μελανόφθαλμοι, οἱ εἰκῇ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ῥᾴθυμον βεβιωκότες, ἰσχνόφωνοι, τρηχύφωνοι, τραυλοί, ὀργίλοι.
  plêthos mèn oûn tôn nosēmátōn egéneto. ek dè tôn kamnóntōn apéthnēiskon málista meirákia, néoi, akmázontes, leîoi, hupoleukókhrōtes, ithútrikhes, melanótrikhes, melanóphthalmoi, hoi eikēî kaì epì tò rhāíthumon bebiōkótes, iskhnóphōnoi, trēkhúphōnoi, trauloí, orgíloi.
  1868 translation by William Henry Samuel Jones^[2]
  Now the number of illnesses was great. And of the patients there died chiefly striplings, young people, people in their prime, the smooth, the fair-skinned, the straight-haired, the black-haired, the black-eyed, those who had lived recklessly and care-lessly, the thin-voiced, the rough-voiced, the lispers, the passionate.
- 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Generation of Animals 786a.25, (book V, chapter vi):
  Ἔτι δ’ αἱ γλῶτται διαφέρουσι τῶν ἁπλῶν τε καὶ ποικίλων καὶ τῶν ἁπλῶν μὲν διαφερόντων δέ, οἷον λευκῶν καὶ μελάνων. αἴτιον δὲ τὸ εἰρημένον πρότερον, ὅτι τὰ δέρματα ποικίλα τῶν ποικίλων, καὶ τῶν λευκοτρίχων καὶ τῶν μελανοτρίχων τῶν μὲν λευκὰ τῶν δὲ μέλανα.
  Éti d’ hai glôttai diaphérousi tôn haplôn te kaì poikílōn kaì tôn haplôn mèn diapheróntōn dé, hoîon leukôn kaì melánōn. aítion dè tò eirēménon próteron, hóti tà dérmata poikíla tôn poikílōn, kaì tôn leukotríkhōn kaì tôn melanotríkhōn tôn mèn leukà tôn dè mélana.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- c. 300 B.C.E., Aristotle, Physiognomonics 808a.19, (a pseudo-Aristotelian treatise):
  εὐθύθριξ καὶ μελάνθριξ.
  euthúthrix kaì melánthrix.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ μελᾰ́νθρῐξ; τοῦ, τῆς μελᾰνότρῐχος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ μελᾰ́νθρῐξ ho, hē melắnthrĭx	τὼ μελᾰνότρῐχε tṑ melănótrĭkhe	οἱ, αἱ μελᾰνότρῐχες hoi, hai melănótrĭkhes
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς μελᾰνότρῐχος toû, tês melănótrĭkhos	τοῖν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χοιν toîn melănotrĭ́khoin	τῶν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χων tôn melănotrĭ́khōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ μελᾰνότρῐχῐ tōî, tēî melănótrĭkhĭ	τοῖν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χοιν toîn melănotrĭ́khoin	τοῖς, ταῖς μελᾰ́νθρῐξῐ / μελᾰ́νθρῐξῐν toîs, taîs melắnthrĭxĭ / melắnthrĭxĭn
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν μελᾰνότρῐχᾰ tòn, tḕn melănótrĭkhă	τὼ μελᾰνότρῐχε tṑ melănótrĭkhe	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς μελᾰνότρῐχᾰς toùs, tā̀s melănótrĭkhăs
Vocative	μελᾰ́νθρῐξ melắnthrĭx	μελᾰνότρῐχε melănótrĭkhe	μελᾰνότρῐχες melănótrĭkhes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: ātricapillus (calque)