μῦθος

See also: μύθος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

• According to Frisk, of onomatopoeic origin, from μῡ (mū).
• According to Beekes there are no plausible comparanda and the word is Pre-Greek.
• Others compare it to Proto-Slavic *myslь (“idea, thought”), as if via Proto-Indo-European *mewHdʰ-.
• Ernštedt (1953: 55-57) argues that it derived from Egyptian mdwt (“word, speech, affair”). If so, a cognate to Coptic ⲙⲉⲧ- (met-), and related to Coptic ⲙⲟⲩⲧⲉ (moute).
• Possibly related to Sanskrit मिथ्या (mithyā, “false, spurious, illusory”), from Proto-Indo-European *mewHdʰ- (“to complain or care about something”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mŷː.tʰos/ → /ˈmy.θos/ → /ˈmi.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mŷː.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmy.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmy.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmy.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.θos/

• Hyphenation: μῦ‧θος

Noun

μῦθος • (mûthos) m (genitive μῡ́θου); second declension

1. something said: word, speech, conversation
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 11.561:

     ἀλλ’ ἄγε δεῦρο, ἄναξ, ἵν’ ἔπος καὶ μῦθον ἀκούσῃς

     all’ áge deûro, ánax, hín’ épos kaì mûthon akoúsēis

   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.777:

     μῦθον, ὃ δὴ καὶ πᾶσιν ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ἤραρεν ἥμιν.

     mûthon, hò dḕ kaì pâsin enì phresìn ḗraren hḗmin.

   1. public speech
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.358:

        ἔργον ἐποίχεσθαι· μῦθος δ’ ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει

        érgon epoíkhesthai; mûthos d’ ándressi melḗsei

      • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Works and Days 192
   2. (mostly in plural) talk, conversation
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.214
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.239
   3. advice, counsel, command, order, promise
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.493:

        Ὣς φάτο Σαρπηδών, δάκε δὲ φρένας Ἕκτορι μῦθος·

        Hṑs pháto Sarpēdṓn, dáke dè phrénas Héktori mûthos;

      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 7.358:

        οἶσθα καὶ ἄλλον μῦθον ἀμείνονα τοῦδε νοῆσαι.

        oîstha kaì állon mûthon ameínona toûde noêsai.

   4. the subject of a speech or talk
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 22.289
      • 458 BCE, Euripides, Electra 346
   5. a resolve, purpose, design, plan
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.545
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.140
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.676
   6. saying, proverb
      • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers 314
   7. the talk of men, rumor, report, message
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 226
      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 189
2. tale, story, narrative,
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.94
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.324
   1. tale, legend, myth
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.45
      1. (in Attic prose) a legend of the early Greek times, before the dawn of history
         • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 330D
   2. a professed work of fiction, fable, such as those of Aesop
      • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 377A
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Meteorology 2.3.2
   3. the plot of a tragedy or comedy
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Poetics 6.8

Usage notes

The scholia on the Odyssey 21.71 says that μῦθος (mûthos) is Aeolic for μόθος (móthos), but compare μυθιήτης (muthiḗtēs). It is used there in the significance of "resolve, purpose".

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ μῦθος; τοῦ μῡ́θου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ μῦθος ho mûthos	τὼ μῡ́θω tṑ mū́thō	οἱ μῦθοι hoi mûthoi
Genitive	τοῦ μῡ́θου toû mū́thou	τοῖν μῡ́θοιν toîn mū́thoin	τῶν μῡ́θων tôn mū́thōn
Dative	τῷ μῡ́θῳ tôi mū́thōi	τοῖν μῡ́θοιν toîn mū́thoin	τοῖς μῡ́θοις toîs mū́thois
Accusative	τὸν μῦθον tòn mûthon	τὼ μῡ́θω tṑ mū́thō	τοὺς μῡ́θους toùs mū́thous
Vocative	μῦθε mûthe	μῡ́θω mū́thō	μῦθοι mûthoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of μῦθος; μῡ́θου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	μῦθος mûthos	μῡ́θω mū́thō	μῦθοι mûthoi
Genitive	μῡ́θου / μῡθοῖο / μῡ́θοιο / μῡθόο / μῡ́θοο mū́thou / mūthoîo / mū́thoio / mūthóo / mū́thoo	μῡ́θοιῐν mū́thoiin	μῡ́θων mū́thōn
Dative	μῡ́θῳ mū́thōi	μῡ́θοιῐν mū́thoiin	μῡ́θοισῐ / μῡ́θοισῐν / μῡ́θοις mū́thoisi(n) / mū́thois
Accusative	μῦθον mûthon	μῡ́θω mū́thō	μῡ́θους mū́thous
Vocative	μῦθε mûthe	μῡ́θω mū́thō	μῦθοι mûthoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• αἰσχρομῡθέω (aiskhromūthéō)
• ἀκρῐτόμῡθος (akritómūthos)
• γλῠκύμῡθος (glukúmūthos)
• δολόμῡθος (dolómūthos)
• δολῐόμῡθος (doliómūthos)
• δῐκόμῡθος (dikómūthos)
• ἐγγαστρίμῡθος (engastrímūthos)
• εἰκαιομῡθέω (eikaiomūthéō)
• ἐκφερομῡθέω (ekpheromūthéō)
• ἐμπεδόμῡθος (empedómūthos)
• εὔμῡθος (eúmūthos)
• ἐχέμῡθος (ekhémūthos)
• ἠπῐόμῡθος (ēpiómūthos)
• θελγεσῐ́μῡθος (thelgesímūthos)
• θρασύμῡθος (thrasúmūthos)
• ἰσχνομῡθέω (iskhnomūthéō)
• λῐγύμῡθος (ligúmūthos)
• μῡθηγορέω (mūthēgoréō)
• μῡθιστορῐ́ᾱ (mūthistoríā)
• μῡθογρᾰ́φος (mūthográphos)
• μῡθολέσχης (mūtholéskhēs)
• μῡθολογέω (mūthologéō)
• μῡθόλογος (mūthólogos)
• μῡθοπλάστης (mūthoplástēs)
• μῡθοπλόκος (mūthoplókos)
• μῡθοπλᾰ́νος (mūthoplános)
• μῡθοποιέω (mūthopoiéō)
• μῡθοποιός (mūthopoiós)
• μῡθουργέω (mūthourgéō)
• μῡθῳδός (mūthōidós)
• νηρῐτόμῡθος (nēritómūthos)
• περισσόμῡθος (perissómūthos)
• ποικῐλόμῡθος (poikilómūthos)
• πολύμῡθος (polúmūthos)
• πᾰρᾰμῡθέομαι (paramūthéomai)
• σεμνομῡθέω (semnomūthéō)
• σπουδαιόμῡθος (spoudaiómūthos)
• στοιχομῡθέω (stoikhomūthéō)
• στῐχομῡθέω (stikhomūthéō)
• τᾰχύμῡθος (takhúmūthos)
• ὑστερόμῡθος (husterómūthos)
• φῐλόμῡθος (philómūthos)
• ᾰ̓ληθόμῡθος (alēthómūthos)
• ᾰ̓́μῡθος (ámūthos)

 

Related terms

• μῡθᾰ́ρῐον (mūthárion)
• μῡθέομαι (mūthéomai)
• μῡθεύω (mūtheúō)
• μῡθητής (mūthētḗs)
• μῡθιάζομαι (mūthiázomai)
• μῡθῐ́δῐον (mūthídion)
• μῡθῐ́ζω (mūthízō)
• μῡθῐήτης (mūthiḗtēs)
• μῡθῐκός (mūthikós)
• μῡθόομαι (mūthóomai)
• μῡθῠ́δρῐον (mūthúdrion)
• μῡθώδης (mūthṓdēs)
• μῡθωδῐκός (mūthōdikós)

Descendants

• → English: myth, mythos
• Greek: μύθος (mýthos)
• → Hebrew: מִיתוֹס (mítos)
• → Latin: mȳthus
• → Spanish: mito
• → Italian: mito
• → Russian: миф (mif)
• → Ukrainian: міф (mif), міт (mit)

References

• “μῦθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μῦθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μῦθος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μῦθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• μῦθος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μῦθος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3454 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • account idem, page 7.
  • allegory idem, page 25.
  • anecdote idem, page 29.
  • bruit idem, page 101.
  • description idem, page 214.
  • fable idem, page 299.
  • fame idem, page 304.
  • fiction idem, page 317.
  • legend idem, page 484.
  • lore idem, page 500.
  • myth idem, page 549.
  • narrative idem, page 551.
  • news idem, page 557.
  • parable idem, page 591.
  • report idem, page 697.
  • romance idem, page 720.
  • rumour idem, page 726.
  • saying idem, page 736.
  • story idem, page 821.
  • tale idem, page 854.
  • tidings idem, page 874.
  • tradition idem, page 885.
  • true idem, page 898.
  • word idem, page 987.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume II, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 976