μῆνιγξ

See also: Μῆνιγξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The semantic parallel with words like Latin membrāna (“membrane”) and Balto-Slavic words like Latvian miesa (“flesh”), Russian мя́со (mjáso, “meat”) and Polish mięso (“meat”), all ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *mems- (“flesh, meat”), is striking. However, Beekes says the unexplained -ν-, together with the suffix -ιγγ-, clearly points to a Pre-Greek word.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.niŋks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈme̝.niŋks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/

Noun

μῆνῐγξ • (mênĭnx) f (genitive μήνῐγγος); third declension

(in general) membrane, cuticle
1. membrane of the eye
2. drum of the ear, eardrum
3. membrane enclosing the brain, dura mater
4. scum on milk

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ μῆνῐγξ; τῆς μήνῐγγος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μῆνῐγξ hē mênĭnx	τὼ μήνῐγγε tṑ mḗnĭnge	αἱ μήνῐγγες hai mḗnĭnges
Genitive	τῆς μήνῐγγος tês mḗnĭngos	τοῖν μηνῐ́γγοιν toîn mēnĭ́ngoin	τῶν μηνῐ́γγων tôn mēnĭ́ngōn
Dative	τῇ μήνῐγγῐ tēî mḗnĭngĭ	τοῖν μηνῐ́γγοιν toîn mēnĭ́ngoin	ταῖς μήνῐγξῐ / μήνῐγξῐν taîs mḗnĭnxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν μήνῐγγᾰ tḕn mḗnĭngă	τὼ μήνῐγγε tṑ mḗnĭnge	τᾱ̀ς μήνῐγγᾰς tā̀s mḗnĭngăs
Vocative	μῆνῐγξ mênĭnx	μήνῐγγε mḗnĭnge	μήνῐγγες mḗnĭnges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

μηνῐ́γγῐον (mēnĭ́ngĭon, diminutive)
μηνῐγγότρωτος (mēnĭngótrōtos)
μηνῐγγοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēnĭngophŭ́lăx)

Descendants

⇒ Latin: mēninga
→ New Latin: mēninx
- → English: meninx

References

“μῆνιγξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press