μῆλον
Ancient Greek
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /mɛ̂ː.lon/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ˈme̝.lon/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ˈmi.lon/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈmi.lon/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈmi.lon/
Etymology 1
Uncertain. Compare Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”), Hittite 𒊭𒈠𒇻 (šamalu-, “apple”), Hittite 𒊭𒄠𒇻 (šamlu-, “apple”) and Proto-Kartvelian *msxal- (“pear”).
Multiple theories have been put forth:
Theories on the origin of μῆλον
- Beekes (2010) declares it to be a Pre-Greek Mediterranean substrate borrowing, comparing it with Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”).[1]
- Kroonen (2016) reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European byform *smh₂l-, from which he also derives Hittite 𒊭𒈠𒇻 (šamalu-), 𒊭𒄠𒇻 (šamlu-) "apple". He also connects this IE form with Proto-Kartvelian *msxal- (“pear”) and proposes that the Indo-European words may have come from a metathesis of that Kartvelian word. [2]
- Fenwick (2016) also argues for an ultimate Indo-European origin, though with differing details, and views the Kartvelian term rather as an IE loan. She reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *méh₂lo- (“cultivated tree, cultivated vine”), with a variant *móh₂lo- (“id.”). This variant is visible in e.g. Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”), Lydian μῶλαξ (môlax, “type of wine”), and Armenian մոլ (mol, “sucker, runner, stolon”). She takes this variation as evidence of an earlier acrostatic root noun *móh₂l- (“type of culturally important plant”) - which got thematized later on - showing a range of other derived forms. She further treats *móh₂l- itself as a possible archaic *-l- deverbal noun from *meh₂- (“to grow, increase, mature, be fruitful”). She compares this development to that of *webʰl- (“weevil, beetle, worm”), which she derives from *webʰ- (“to weave”)).[3]
Alternative forms
Noun
μῆλον • (mêlon) n (genitive μήλου); second declension
Declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon |
τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō |
τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tằ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ μήλου toû mḗlou |
τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin |
τῶν μήλων tôn mḗlōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ μήλῳ tōî mḗlōi |
τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin |
τοῖς μήλοις toîs mḗlois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon |
τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō |
τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tằ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μῆλον mêlon |
μήλω mḗlō |
μῆλᾰ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ μᾶλον tò mâlon |
τὼ μᾱ́λω tṑ mā́lō |
τᾰ̀ μᾶλᾰ tằ mâlă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ μᾱ́λω toû mā́lō |
τοῖν μᾱ́λοιν toîn mā́loin |
τῶν μᾱ́λων tôn mā́lōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ μᾱ́λῳ tōî mā́lōi |
τοῖν μᾱ́λοιν toîn mā́loin |
τοῖς μᾱ́λοις toîs mā́lois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ μᾶλον tò mâlon |
τὼ μᾱ́λω tṑ mā́lō |
τᾰ̀ μᾱ́λως tằ mā́lōs | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μᾶλον mâlon |
μᾱ́λω mā́lō |
μᾶλᾰ mâlă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- ᾰ̔μᾰμηλῐ́ς (hămămēlĭ́s)
- ἀρίμηλον (arímēlon)
- γλυκύμηλον (glukúmēlon)
- ἐπῐμηλῐ́ς (epĭmēlĭ́s)
- κεδρόμηλον (kedrómēlon)
- κιτρόμηλον (kitrómēlon)
- κοκκῠ́μηλον (kokkŭ́mēlon)
- λιτρόμηλον (litrómēlon)
- μελίμηλον (melímēlon)
- μηλέα (mēléa)
- μήλειος (mḗleios)
- μήλινος (mḗlinos)
- μηλινόχρους (mēlinókhrous)
- μηλίτης (mēlítēs)
- μηλοβολέω (mēloboléō)
- μηλοειδής (mēloeidḗs)
- μηλόκαρπον (mēlókarpon)
- μηλοκυδώνιον (mēlokudṓnion)
- μηλομαχία (mēlomakhía)
- μηλοπάρειος (mēlopáreios)
- μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn)
- μηλοῦχος (mēloûkhos)
- μηλοφάγος (mēlophágos)
- μηλοφορέω (mēlophoréō)
- μηλοφορία (mēlophoría)
- μηλοφόρος (mēlophóros)
- μηλόχροος (mēlókhroos)
- μηλόχρους (mēlókhrous)
- μῆλοψ (mêlops)
- μήλοψ (mḗlops)
- μηλώδης (mēlṓdēs)
- μήλωθρον (mḗlōthron)
- μηλών (mēlṓn)
- ῥοδόμηλον (rhodómēlon)
- Φιλομήλη (Philomḗlē)
- φιλόμηλος (philómēlos)
- χρῡσόμηλον (khrūsómēlon)
Descendants
Etymology 2
Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₁l- (“small animal”). Compare Old Irish mil (“small animal”), Dutch maal (“young cow”), Old Church Slavonic малъ (malŭ), Old English smæl (English small). Despite phonetic and semantic similarities, likely unrelated to Old Armenian մալ (mal, “cattle”), which stems from Arabic مَال (māl, “property”) instead.[4]
Alternative forms
- μεῖλον (meîlon) — Boeotian
Noun
μῆλον • (mêlon) n (genitive μήλου); second declension
Declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon |
τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō |
τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tằ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ μήλου toû mḗlou |
τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin |
τῶν μήλων tôn mḗlōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ μήλῳ tōî mḗlōi |
τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin |
τοῖς μήλοις toîs mḗlois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon |
τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō |
τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tằ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μῆλον mêlon |
μήλω mḗlō |
μῆλᾰ mêlă | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Derived terms
- Εὔμηλος (Eúmēlos)
- μηλᾰ́της (mēlắtēs)
- μήλειος (mḗleios)
- μηλοβατέω (mēlobatéō)
- μηλοβοσκός (mēloboskós)
- μηλοβότας (mēlobótas)
- μηλοβοτέω (mēlobotéō)
- μηλοβοτήρ (mēlobotḗr)
- μηλοβότης (mēlobótēs)
- μηλόβοτος (mēlóbotos)
- μηλοθύτης (mēlothútēs)
- μηλοκτόνος (mēloktónos)
- μηλονόμης (mēlonómēs)
- μηλονόμος (mēlonómos)
- μηλοσκόπος (mēloskópos)
- μηλοσόη (mēlosóē)
- μηλοσσόος (mēlossóos)
- μηλοσφαγέω (mēlosphagéō)
- μηλοσφαγία (mēlosphagía)
- μηλοτρόφος (mēlotróphos)
- μηλοφόνος (mēlophónos)
- μηλοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēlophŭ́lăx)
- μηλώσιος (mēlṓsios)
- μηλωτή (mēlōtḗ)
- πολύμηλος (polúmēlos)
- φερέμηλος (pherémēlos)
References
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μῆλον 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 943-944
- ^ Kroonen, Guus (2016) “On the origin of Greek μῆλον, Latin mālum, Albanian mollë and Hittite šam(a)lu- ‘apple’”, in The Journal of Indo-European Studies[1], volume 44, pages 85-91
- ^ Fenwick, Rhona S. H. (2016) “Descendants and ancestry of a Proto-Indo-European phytonym *meh₂l-”, in Journal of Indo-European Studies[2], volume 44, numbers 3–4, pages 441-465
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μῆλον 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 944
Further reading
- “μῆλον (Α)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “μῆλον (Β)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “μῆλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “μῆλον”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- μῆλον in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- “μῆλον”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- μῆλον in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[3], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- apple idem, page 35.