τέρχνος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• τρέχνος (trékhnos)

Etymology

Formation like ἔρνος (érnos) and κτῆνος (ktênos). Niedermann pleaded for connection with τρέχω (trékhō, “to run”). However, Furnée believes the word is Pre-Greek and compares ταρχάνιον (tarkhánion, “used in burial”), suggesting the use of twigs as offerings. Compare Albanian trikë. Compare Sanskrit दर्हति (darhati, “to grow”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /tér.kʰnos/ → /ˈter.xnos/ → /ˈter.xnos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tér.kʰnos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈter.kʰnos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈter.xnos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈter.xnos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈter.xnos/

Noun

τέρχνος • (térkhnos) n (genitive τέρχνεος); third declension

1. (botany) young shoot, twig, sprout

   Synonyms: ἔρνος (érnos), θαλλός (thallós), ὄρπηξ (órpēx), πτόρθος (ptórthos)

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ τέρχνος; τοῦ τέρχνεος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ τέρχνος tò térkhnos	τὼ τέρχνεε tṑ térkhnee	τᾰ̀ τέρχνεᾰ tà térkhnea
Genitive	τοῦ τέρχνεος toû térkhneos	τοῖν τερχνέοιν toîn terkhnéoin	τῶν τερχνέων tôn terkhnéōn
Dative	τῷ τέρχνεῐ̈ tôi térkhneï	τοῖν τερχνέοιν toîn terkhnéoin	τοῖς τέρχνεσῐ / τέρχνεσῐν toîs térkhnesi(n)
Accusative	τὸ τέρχνος tò térkhnos	τὼ τέρχνεε tṑ térkhnee	τᾰ̀ τέρχνεᾰ tà térkhnea
Vocative	τέρχνος térkhnos	τέρχνεε térkhnee	τέρχνεᾰ térkhnea
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “τέρχνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• τέρχνος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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