Μορμώ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• Μορμών (Mormṓn)

Etymology

Unknown. Beekes thinks a Pre-Greek origin is likely. Maybe related to μόρμορος (mórmoros, “fear, panic”). Generally claimed to be connected with Latin formido, although the parallel is dubious. However, see Middle Armenian մորմ (morm, “tarantula”), which possibly comes from the same substrate source.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mor.mɔ̌ː/ → /morˈmo/ → /morˈmo/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mor.mɔ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /morˈmo/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /morˈmo/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /morˈmo/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /morˈmo/

Proper noun

Μορμώ • (Mormṓ) f (genitive Μορμόος or Μορμοῦς); third declension

1. Mormo, a monstrous spectre in Greek mythology, used as a bogey to frighten children

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ Μορμώ; τῆς Μορμόος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Μορμώ hē Mormṓ
Genitive	τῆς Μορμόος / Μορμοῦς tês Mormóos / Mormoûs
Dative	τῇ Μορμοῖ têi Mormoî
Accusative	τὴν Μορμώ tḕn Mormṓ
Vocative	Μορμοῖ Mormoî
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• English: Mormo, mormo
• Greek: Μορμώ (Mormó)
• Latin: Mormo

Further reading

• “Μορμώ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2013) “The place of Armenian in the Indo-European language family: the relationship with Greek and Indo-Iranian”, in Journal of Language Relationship‎^[1], number 10, page 118