μηχανή
Ancient Greek
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unknown. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”), with cognates including Old Church Slavonic мощи (mošti) and Old English magan, miht, mæġen (English may, might, main). See also Μάγος (Mágos).
Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin, based on the infix -αν- (-an-), as well as formal difficulties in deriving the word's ablauting paradigm from *megʰ-, and considers it a doublet of Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon, “charm, block (wheelbox)”).[1]
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /mɛː.kʰa.nɛ̌ː/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /me̝.kʰaˈne̝/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /mi.xaˈni/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /mi.xaˈni/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /mi.xaˈni/
Noun
μηχᾰνή • (mēkhănḗ) f (genitive μηχᾰνῆς); first declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)
Inflection
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ἡ μηχᾰνή hē mēkhănḗ |
τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhănā́ |
αἱ μηχᾰναί hai mēkhănaí | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τῆς μηχᾰνῆς tês mēkhănês |
τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhănaîn |
τῶν μηχᾰνῶν tôn mēkhănôn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῇ μηχᾰνῇ tēî mēkhănēî |
τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhănaîn |
ταῖς μηχᾰναῖς taîs mēkhănaîs | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὴν μηχᾰνήν tḕn mēkhănḗn |
τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhănā́ |
τᾱ̀ς μηχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mēkhănā́s | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μηχᾰνή mēkhănḗ |
μηχᾰνᾱ́ mēkhănā́ |
μηχᾰναί mēkhănaí | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ᾱ̔ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ hā mākhănā́ |
τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhănā́ |
ταὶ μᾱχᾰναί taì mākhănaí | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τᾶς μᾱχᾰνᾶς tâs mākhănâs |
τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhănaîn |
τᾶν μᾱχᾰνᾶν tân mākhănân | ||||||||||
| Dative | τᾷ μᾱχᾰνᾷ tāî mākhănāî |
τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhănaîn |
ταῖς μᾱχᾰναῖς taîs mākhănaîs | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τᾱ̀ν μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ν tā̀n mākhănā́n |
τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhănā́ |
τᾱ̀ς μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mākhănā́s | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhănā́ |
μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhănā́ |
μᾱχᾰναί mākhănaí | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- ἀμήχανος (amḗkhanos)
- κᾰκομήχᾰνος (kăkomḗkhănos)
- μηχᾰνάομαι (mēkhănáomai)
- μηχᾰνεύς (mēkhăneús)
- μηχᾰ́νημᾰ (mēkhắnēmă)
- μηχᾰ́νησῐς (mēkhắnēsĭs)
- μηχᾰνῐκός (mēkhănĭkós)
- μηχᾰ́νωμᾰ (mēkhắnōmă)
- ποικῐλομήχᾰνος (poikĭlomḗkhănos)
Related terms
- μῆχος (mêkhos)
Descendants
See also descendants from Doric μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́).
- Greek: μηχανή (michaní)
- → Classical Syriac: ܡܐܟܢܐ
- → Coptic: ⲙⲏⲭⲁⲛⲏ (mēkhanē)
- → Old Armenian: մեքենայ (mekʻenay)
- Armenian: մեքենա (mekʻena)
- → Pashto: مېچن (mēčə́n)
References
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μηχανή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 949-50
Further reading
- “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- μηχανή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- apparatus idem, page 34.
- appliance idem, page 35.
- artifice idem, page 42.
- artillery idem, page 42.
- battering-ram idem, page 65.
- contrivance idem, page 170.
- device idem, page 220.
- engine idem, page 274.
- expedient idem, page 293.
- invention idem, page 456.
- machine idem, page 506.
- ram idem, page 670.
- resource idem, page 703.
- scheme idem, page 739.
- weapon idem, page 970.
- μηχανή, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
Greek
Etymology
From Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [mixɐˈni]
- Hyphenation: μη‧χα‧νή
Noun
μηχανή • (michaní) f (plural μηχανές)
- machine, engine
- Synonym: μηχάνημα (michánima)
- locomotive, the power unit of a train which does not carry passengers or freight itself
- (colloquial) motorcycle, motorbike
- Synonym: μοτοσυκλέτα (motosykléta)
- (figuratively) a way to deceive people
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | μηχανή (michaní) | μηχανές (michanés) |
| genitive | μηχανής (michanís) | μηχανών (michanón) |
| accusative | μηχανή (michaní) | μηχανές (michanés) |
| vocative | μηχανή (michaní) | μηχανές (michanés) |
Derived terms
- αερομηχανικός m or f (aeromichanikós, “aircraft mechanic, aero engineer”)
- αμηχανία f (amichanía, “perplexity, discomfiture”)
- αμήχανος (amíchanos, “perplexed, discomfited”, adjective)
- αρχιμηχανικός m or f (archimichanikós, “chief engineer”)
- ΑΤΜ f (ATM, “ATM”)
- αυτόματη ταμειακή μηχανή f (aftómati tameiakí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
- αυτόματη ταμειολογιστική μηχανή f (aftómati tameiologistikí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
- βιομηχανία f (viomichanía, “industry”)
- βιομήχανος m or f (viomíchanos, “industrialist”)
- μηχανάκι (michanáki, “diminutive form”)
- μηχανέλαιο (michanélaio)
- μηχανεύομαι (michanévomai)
- μηχανή αναζήτησης f (michaní anazítisis, “search engine”)
- μηχανή εσωτερικής καύσης f (michaní esoterikís káfsis, “internal combustion engine”)
- Μηχανικό (Michanikó)
- μηχανικός m or f (michanikós, “engineer”)
- μηχανισμός m (michanismós, “mechanism”)
- μηχανόβιος (michanóvios)
- μηχανογράφηση (michanográfisi)
- μηχανογραφώ (michanografó)
- μηχανοδηγός (michanodigós)
- μηχανοκατασκευή (michanokataskeví)
- μηχανοκίνητος (michanokínitos)
- μηχανοκρατία (michanokratía)
- μηχανοκρατούμαι (michanokratoúmai)
- μηχανόλαδο (michanólado)
- μηχανολογία (michanología)
- μηχανολόγος m or f (michanológos, “engineer”)
- μηχανοποίητος (michanopoíitos)
- μηχανορραφία (michanorrafía)
- μηχανορράφος (michanorráfos)
- μηχανορραφώ (michanorrafó)
- μηχανοστάσιο (michanostásio)
- μηχανότρατα (michanótrata)
- μηχανουργείο (michanourgeío)
- μηχανουργικός (michanourgikós)
- μηχανουργός (michanourgós)
- παιχνιδομηχανή f (paichnidomichaní, “video game console”)
- πολιτικός μηχανικός m (politikós michanikós, “civil engineer”)
Further reading
- μηχανή on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia el
- μηχανή, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language