μάγγανον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Sanskrit मञ्जुल (mañjula, “charming, lovely”) and मङ्गल (maṅgala, “lucky charm, amulet, talisman”) have been proposed as cognates. Connection to the group of μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”) is unconvincing. Van Beek suggests a comparison with μηχανή (mēkhanḗ, “contrivance”); the pair of words shows prenasalization and interchange of γ and χ, which would be typical reflexes of a Pre-Greek word. However, these are typical Semitic variations, and if the movement patterns of a pulley or catapult are compared with that of a sickle, the Greek is easier derived as a borrowing from the family of Aramaic מַגְּלָא / ܡܓܠܐ (maggǝlā), Hebrew מַגָּל (maggā́l), Arabic مِنْجَل (minjal), words of transparent derivation meaning “sickle”. Reflexes of said family passed into Old Georgian მანგალი (mangali), Old Armenian մանգաղ (mangał), and formally and geographically remarkably Georgian and Mingrelian მაგანა (magana), still meaning sickle. The senses “philtre”, “charm” and “pulley block”, “bolt”, “catapult” may ultimately have different origins, however both are relatable due to the image of witchcraft being “cast”, like the charge of a catapult is warped or a sickle is rapped.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /máŋ.ɡa.non/ → /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/ → /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /máŋ.ɡa.non/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmaŋ.ɡa.non/

Noun

μάγγᾰνον • (mángănon) n (genitive μαγγᾰ́νου); second declension

1. philtre, charm, means for bewitching others
2. block of a pulley
3. bolt, iron peg
4. catapult, ballista, tormentum

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ μάγγᾰνον; τοῦ μαγγᾰ́νου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μάγγᾰνον tò mángănon	τὼ μαγγᾰ́νω tṑ mangắnō	τᾰ̀ μάγγᾰνᾰ tằ mángănă
Genitive	τοῦ μαγγᾰ́νου toû mangắnou	τοῖν μαγγᾰ́νοιν toîn mangắnoin	τῶν μαγγᾰ́νων tôn mangắnōn
Dative	τῷ μαγγᾰ́νῳ tōî mangắnōi	τοῖν μαγγᾰ́νοιν toîn mangắnoin	τοῖς μαγγᾰ́νοις toîs mangắnois
Accusative	τὸ μάγγᾰνον tò mángănon	τὼ μαγγᾰ́νω tṑ mangắnō	τᾰ̀ μάγγᾰνᾰ tằ mángănă
Vocative	μάγγᾰνον mángănon	μαγγᾰ́νω mangắnō	μάγγᾰνᾰ mángănă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• μαγγανάριος (manganários)
• μαγγανεία (manganeía)
• μαγγάνευμα (mangáneuma)
• μαγγανευτήριον (manganeutḗrion)
• μαγγανευτής (manganeutḗs)
• μαγγανευτικός (manganeutikós)
• μαγγανεύτρια (manganeútria)
• μαγγανεύω (manganeúō)
• μαγγανικά (manganiká)

Descendants

• Greek: μάγγανο (mángano), μάγκανο (mágkano)
• → Arabic: مَنْجَنُون (manjanūn), مَنْجَنِين (manjanīn)
• → Aramaic:

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: מנגנ

  Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: מַנְגְּנוּן (mangənūn), מַנְגְּנִין (mangənīn)

  Classical Syriac: ܡܢܓܢܘܢ (mangānōn)

• → Ge'ez: መንገን (mängän)
• → Georgian: მანგანა (mangana, “pincers (blacksmith); vice”)
• → Hebrew: מַנְגָּנוֹן (manganṓn)
• → Latin: manganum (see there for further descendants)
• → Laz: მანგანა (mangana), ⇒ წკარ-მანგანა (ǯǩar-mangana)
• → Middle Armenian: մանգանայ (manganay)
• → Old Armenian: մանգղիոն (mangłion), մանգղոն (mangłon)
• → Ottoman Turkish: منگنه (mengene) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “μάγγανον”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μάγγανον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μάγγανον in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• μάγγανον, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011