γυνή

Ancient Greek

Ἡ γυνὴ καλεῖται Σαπφὼ Λέσβου.

Alternative forms

• βανά (baná) — Boeotian
• γυνά (guná) — Doric

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷonā, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn (“woman”). Cognates include Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀙𐀊 (ku-na-ja), Sanskrit ग्ना (gnā́), जनि (jáni), Old Armenian կին (kin), and Old English cwēn (English queen).

The weak stem is probably from the strong stem suffixed with *-keh₂ like μέγᾰς (mégas). Compare English hypocorism and Latin mulier for the development of using hypocorisms to refer to women. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡy.nɛ̌ː/ → /ʝyˈni/ → /ʝiˈni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡy.nɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡyˈne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ʝyˈni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ʝyˈni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ʝiˈni/

Noun

γῠνή • (gunḗ) f (genitive γῠναικός); third declension

1. woman, female
   • 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 329:

     Γυναῖκα γὰρ δὴ συμπονεῖν γυναικὶ χρή.

     Gunaîka gàr dḕ sumponeîn gunaikì khrḗ.

     A woman ought to help a woman.

   • Palladas :

     Πᾶσα γυνὴ χόλος ἐστὶν· ἔχει δ’ ἀγαθὰς δύο ὥρας, τὴν μίαν ἐν θαλάμῳ, τὴν μίαν ἐν θανάτῳ.

     Pâsa gunḕ khólos estìn; ékhei d’ agathàs dúo hṓras, tḕn mían en thalámōi, tḕn mían en thanátōi.

     Every woman is an annoyance. She has two good times: one in the bedroom, one in death.

2. wife

Inflection

Irregular declension of ἡ γῠνή; τῆς γῠναικός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γῠνή hē gunḗ	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke	αἱ γῠναῖκες hai gunaîkes
Genitive	τῆς γῠναικός tês gunaikós	τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gunaikoîn	τῶν γῠναικῶν tôn gunaikôn
Dative	τῇ γῠναικί têi gunaikí	τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gunaikoîn	ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gunaixí(n)
Accusative	τὴν γῠναῖκᾰ tḕn gunaîka	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke	τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gunaîkas
Vocative	γύναι gúnai	γῠναῖκε gunaîke	γῠναῖκες gunaîkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Irregular declension of ᾱ̔ γῠνά; τᾶς γῠναικός (Doric)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾱ̔ γῠνά hā guná	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke	ταὶ γῠναῖκες taì gunaîkes
Genitive	τᾶς γῠναικός tâs gunaikós	τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gunaikaîn	τᾶν γῠναικᾶν tân gunaikân
Dative	τᾷ γῠναικί tâi gunaikí	τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gunaikaîn	ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gunaixí(n)
Accusative	τᾱ̀ν γῠναῖκᾰ tā̀n gunaîka	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gunaîke	τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gunaîkas
Vocative	γύναι gúnai	γῠναῖκε gunaîke	γῠναῖκες gunaîkes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Antonyms

• ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man, male”)

Derived terms

• καλλιγύναιξ (kalligúnaix)

Descendants

• Greek (Modern & varieties):
  • ⇒ Greek: γυναίκα (gynaíka)
  • ⇒ Tsakonian: γουναίκα (gounaíka)

Further reading

• “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γυνή”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γυνή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γυνή in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• γυνή in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
• G1135 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.
  • consort idem, page 164.
  • dame idem, page 194.
  • lady idem, page 473.
  • matron idem, page 518.
  • spouse idem, page 805.
  • wife idem, page 978.
  • woman idem, page 986.