μάσταξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to Beekes, possibly of Pre-Greek origin and related to μασάομαι (masáomai) and μαστάζω (mastázō). The formation is similar to πόρταξ (pórtax) and μύλαξ (múlax).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /más.taks/ → /ˈmas.taks/ → /ˈmas.taks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /más.taks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.taks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.taks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.taks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmas.taks/

Noun

μάσταξ • (mástax) f (genitive μάστακος); third declension

1. mouth, jaws, that with which one chews
2. mouthful, morsel
3. locust (because of its voracity)

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ μάσταξ; τῆς μάστακος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μάσταξ hē mástax	τὼ μάστακε tṑ mástake	αἱ μάστακες hai mástakes
Genitive	τῆς μάστακος tês mástakos	τοῖν μαστάκοιν toîn mastákoin	τῶν μαστάκων tôn mastákōn
Dative	τῇ μάστακῐ têi mástaki	τοῖν μαστάκοιν toîn mastákoin	ταῖς μάσταξῐ / μάσταξῐν taîs mástaxi(n)
Accusative	τὴν μάστακᾰ tḕn mástaka	τὼ μάστακε tṑ mástake	τᾱ̀ς μάστακᾰς tā̀s mástakas
Vocative	μάσταξ mástax	μάστακε mástake	μάστακες mástakes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• μαστάζω (mastázō)
• μαστίχη (mastíkhē)

Descendants

• English: mastax
• ⇒ English: mastoid
• → Translingual: Mastax

Further reading

• “μάσταξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μάσταξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μάσταξ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μάσταξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• μάσταξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• 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