χελώνη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

χέλυμνα (khélumna)
χελύννα (khelúnna)
χελῡ́νη (khelū́nē)

Etymology

Traditionally derived from a Proto-Indo-European *gʰel(H)-ewH- (“tortoise, turtle-like animal”), and compared with Proto-Slavic *žely (“turtle, tortoise”); also related to χέλυς (khélus, “tortoise”).

However, Furnee and Chantraine consider the word a Pre-Greek borrowing based on the variant χέλυμνα (khélumna) (which yielded *χελυϝνα (*kheluwna) > χελῡ́νη (khelū́nē), χελύννα (khelúnna)) displaying μ/ϝ consonantal interchange, as well as the variant χελῡ́νη (khelū́nē) having -ῡ́ν- in its form, which is highly unusual if inherited from Proto-Indo-European.

Beekes favors the Pre-Greek derivation, and additionally separates the Slavic words etymologically, considering the Slavic to derive from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). There doesn't seem to be a good reason to separate the Slavic terms, however; even if not inherited, there is a possibility that the Greek and Slavic terms were borrowed from the same substrate source, in addition to the *ǵʰelh₃- theory being rejected by linguists such as Schmeja.

Another theory by Mastrelli, based on work by Frisk, derives the word from χεῖλος (kheîlos, “lip, jaw”), taking the tortoise as a "sharp-jawed creature".^[1]

See also Ancient Greek χηλή (khēlḗ, “hoof; claw; jawbone”), and Sanskrit हर्मुट (harmuṭa) (< *harmulta).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kʰe.lɔ̌ː.nɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kʰeˈlo.ne̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /çeˈlo.ni/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /çeˈlo.ni/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /çeˈlo.ni/

Noun

χελώνη • (khelṓnē) f (genitive χελώνης); first declension

tortoise

Inflection

First declension of ἡ χελώνη; τῆς χελώνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ χελώνη hē khelṓnē	τὼ χελώνᾱ tṑ khelṓnā	αἱ χελῶναι hai khelônai
Genitive	τῆς χελώνης tês khelṓnēs	τοῖν χελώναιν toîn khelṓnain	τῶν χελωνῶν tôn khelōnôn
Dative	τῇ χελώνῃ tēî khelṓnēi	τοῖν χελώναιν toîn khelṓnain	ταῖς χελώναις taîs khelṓnais
Accusative	τὴν χελώνην tḕn khelṓnēn	τὼ χελώνᾱ tṑ khelṓnā	τᾱ̀ς χελώνᾱς tā̀s khelṓnās
Vocative	χελώνη khelṓnē	χελώνᾱ khelṓnā	χελῶναι khelônai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀσπιδοχελώνη (aspidokhelṓnē)
γερροχελώνη (gerrhokhelṓnē)
χελωνάριον (khelōnárion)
χελωνία (khelōnía)
χελωνιάς (khelōniás)
χελώνινος (khelṓninos)
χελώνιον (khelṓnion)
χελωνίς (khelōnís)
χελωνοειδής (khelōnoeidḗs)
χελωνοφάγος (khelōnophágos)

Descendants

Greek: χελώνα f (chelóna, “tortoise, turtle”)
→ Spanish: quelonio
→ Translingual: Chelonia, Chelonia
- → English: chelonian

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “χελῡ́νη 2 (> DER > With a different stem χελώνη)”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 1623-4