φάλλαινα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

φάλαινᾰ (phálaină, “moth”)

Etymology

Traditionally derived (e.g. by Pokorny) from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to swell”); see also φαλλός (phallós, “penis, phallus”), for the shape of which the animal may be named.^[1] However, Beekes considers the word Pre-Greek due to variation between the single and geminate λ in its variant forms.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰál.lai̯.na/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰal.lɛ.na/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸal.lɛ.na/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈfal.le.na/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.le.na/

Noun

φάλλαινᾰ • (phállaină) f (genitive φαλλαίνης); first declension

whale
moth

Inflection

First declension of ἡ φάλλαινᾰ; τῆς φαλλαίνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ἡ φάλλαινᾰ hē phállaină	αἱ φάλλαιναι hai phállainai
Genitive	τῆς φαλλαίνης tês phallaínēs	τῶν φαλλαινῶν tôn phallainôn
Dative	τῇ φαλλαίνῃ tēî phallaínēi	ταῖς φαλλαίναις taîs phallaínais
Accusative	τὴν φάλλαινᾰν tḕn phállainăn	τᾱ̀ς φαλλαίνᾱς tā̀s phallaínās
Vocative	φάλλαινᾰ phállaină	φάλλαιναι phállainai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: φάλαινα (fálaina) (see there for further descendants)
→ Latin: ballaena (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 120
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1549

Greek

Noun

φάλλαινα • (fállaina) f (plural φάλλαινες)

alternative form of φάλαινα (fálaina)

Declension

Declension of **φάλλαινα**
	singular	plural
nominative	φάλλαινα (fállaina)	φάλλαινες (fállaines)
genitive	φάλλαινας (fállainas)	φαλλαινών (fallainón)
accusative	φάλλαινα (fállaina)	φάλλαινες (fállaines)
vocative	φάλλαινα (fállaina)	φάλλαινες (fállaines)

[1] Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 120

[2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1549

[1]

[2]

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Inflection

Descendants

References

Further reading

Greek

Noun

Declension