χαμίνι

Greek

Etymology

Learned borrowing from French gamin. First attested in the 1862 Greek translation by Ioannis-Isidoridis Skylitsis of Les Miserables (by Victor Hugo). Apparently, a translation‑neologism, [g] > [x] instead of [γ], trying to avoid the derogatory *γαμίνι, or intended to remind of χαμένο (“lost”).^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /xaˈmi.ni/
Hyphenation: χα‧μί‧νι

Noun

χαμίνι • (chamíni) n (plural χαμίνια)

street urchin, guttersnipe

Declension

Declension of **χαμίνι**
	singular	plural
nominative	χαμίνι (chamíni)	χαμίνια (chamínia)
genitive	χαμινιού (chaminioú)	χαμινιών (chaminión)
accusative	χαμίνι (chamíni)	χαμίνια (chamínia)
vocative	χαμίνι (chamíni)	χαμίνια (chamínia)

Synonyms

αγυιόπαιδο n (agyiópaido)
αγυιόπαις m (agyiópais) (dated form)
αλάνι n (aláni) (colloquial)
αλητάκος m (alitákos)
αλητάκι n (alitáki)
αλητόπαιδο n (alitópaido)

References

^ χαμίνι, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
In other sources, first attested in 1845.

[1] χαμίνι, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language
In other sources, first attested in 1845.

[1]