μηχανή

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́) — Doric

Etymology

Unknown. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”), with cognates including Old Church Slavonic мощи (mošti) and Old English magan, miht, mæġen (English may, might, main). See also Μάγος (Mágos).

Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin, based on the infix -αν- (-an-), as well as formal difficulties in deriving the word's ablauting paradigm from *megʰ-, and considers it a doublet of Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon, “charm, block (wheelbox)”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛː.kʰa.nɛ̌ː/ → /mi.xaˈni/ → /mi.xaˈni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛː.kʰa.nɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /me̝.kʰaˈne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/

Noun

μηχᾰνή • (mēkhănḗ) f (genitive μηχᾰνῆς); first declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)

1. contrivance, machine, device, gear
2. way, means

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μηχᾰνή; τῆς μηχᾰνῆς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μηχᾰνή hē mēkhănḗ	τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhănā́	αἱ μηχᾰναί hai mēkhănaí
Genitive	τῆς μηχᾰνῆς tês mēkhănês	τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhănaîn	τῶν μηχᾰνῶν tôn mēkhănôn
Dative	τῇ μηχᾰνῇ tēî mēkhănēî	τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhănaîn	ταῖς μηχᾰναῖς taîs mēkhănaîs
Accusative	τὴν μηχᾰνήν tḕn mēkhănḗn	τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhănā́	τᾱ̀ς μηχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mēkhănā́s
Vocative	μηχᾰνή mēkhănḗ	μηχᾰνᾱ́ mēkhănā́	μηχᾰναί mēkhănaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ᾱ̔ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́; τᾶς μᾱχᾰνᾶς (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾱ̔ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ hā mākhănā́	τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhănā́	ταὶ μᾱχᾰναί taì mākhănaí
Genitive	τᾶς μᾱχᾰνᾶς tâs mākhănâs	τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhănaîn	τᾶν μᾱχᾰνᾶν tân mākhănân
Dative	τᾷ μᾱχᾰνᾷ tāî mākhănāî	τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhănaîn	ταῖς μᾱχᾰναῖς taîs mākhănaîs
Accusative	τᾱ̀ν μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ν tā̀n mākhănā́n	τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhănā́	τᾱ̀ς μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mākhănā́s
Vocative	μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhănā́	μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhănā́	μᾱχᾰναί mākhănaí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἀμήχανος (amḗkhanos)
• κᾰκομήχᾰνος (kăkomḗkhănos)
• μηχᾰνάομαι (mēkhănáomai)
• μηχᾰνᾰ́ω (mēkhănắō)
• μηχᾰνεύς (mēkhăneús)
• μηχᾰ́νημᾰ (mēkhắnēmă)
• μηχᾰ́νησῐς (mēkhắnēsĭs)
• μηχᾰνῐκός (mēkhănĭkós)
• μηχᾰ́νωμᾰ (mēkhắnōmă)
• ποικῐλομήχᾰνος (poikĭlomḗkhănos)

Related terms

• μῆχος (mêkhos)

Descendants

See also descendants from Doric μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́).

• Greek: μηχανή (michaní)
• → Classical Syriac: ܡܐܟܢܐ
• → Coptic: ⲙⲏⲭⲁⲛⲏ (mēkhanē)
• → Old Armenian: մեքենայ (mekʻenay)
  • Armenian: մեքենա (mekʻena)
• → Pashto: مېچن (mēčə́n)

Further reading

• “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μηχανή in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • apparatus idem, page 34.
  • appliance idem, page 35.
  • artifice idem, page 42.
  • artillery idem, page 42.
  • battering-ram idem, page 65.
  • contrivance idem, page 170.
  • device idem, page 220.
  • engine idem, page 274.
  • expedient idem, page 293.
  • invention idem, page 456.
  • machine idem, page 506.
  • ram idem, page 670.
  • resource idem, page 703.
  • scheme idem, page 739.
  • weapon idem, page 970.
• μηχανή, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mixɐˈni]
• Hyphenation: μη‧χα‧νή

Noun

μηχανή • (michaní) f (plural μηχανές)

1. machine, engine

   Synonym: μηχάνημα (michánima)

2. locomotive, the power unit of a train which does not carry passengers or freight itself
3. (colloquial) motorcycle, motorbike

   Synonym: μοτοσυκλέτα (motosykléta)

4. (figuratively) a way to deceive people

Declension

Declension of μηχανή

	singular	plural
nominative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)
genitive	μηχανής (michanís)	μηχανών (michanón)
accusative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)
vocative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)

Derived terms

• αερομηχανικός m or f (aeromichanikós, “aircraft mechanic, aero engineer”)
• αμηχανία f (amichanía, “perplexity, discomfiture”)
• αμήχανος (amíchanos, “perplexed, discomfited”, adjective)
• αρχιμηχανικός m or f (archimichanikós, “chief engineer”)
• ΑΤΜ f (ATM, “ATM”)
• αυτόματη ταμειακή μηχανή f (aftómati tameiakí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
• αυτόματη ταμειολογιστική μηχανή f (aftómati tameiologistikí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
• βιομηχανία f (viomichanía, “industry”)
• βιομήχανος m or f (viomíchanos, “industrialist”)
• μηχανάκι (michanáki, “diminutive form”)
• μηχανέλαιο (michanélaio)
• μηχανεύομαι (michanévomai)
• μηχανή αναζήτησης f (michaní anazítisis, “search engine”)
• μηχανή εσωτερικής καύσης f (michaní esoterikís káfsis, “internal combustion engine”)
• Μηχανικό (Michanikó)
• μηχανικός m or f (michanikós, “engineer”)
• μηχανισμός m (michanismós, “mechanism”)
• μηχανόβιος (michanóvios)
• μηχανογράφηση (michanográfisi)
• μηχανογραφώ (michanografó)
• μηχανοδηγός (michanodigós)
• μηχανοκατασκευή (michanokataskeví)
• μηχανοκίνητος (michanokínitos)
• μηχανοκρατία (michanokratía)
• μηχανοκρατούμαι (michanokratoúmai)
• μηχανόλαδο (michanólado)
• μηχανολογία (michanología)
• μηχανολόγος m or f (michanológos, “engineer”)
• μηχανοποίητος (michanopoíitos)
• μηχανορραφία (michanorrafía)
• μηχανορράφος (michanorráfos)
• μηχανορραφώ (michanorrafó)
• μηχανοστάσιο (michanostásio)
• μηχανότρατα (michanótrata)
• μηχανουργείο (michanourgeío)
• μηχανουργικός (michanourgikós)
• μηχανουργός (michanourgós)
• παιχνιδομηχανή f (paichnidomichaní, “video game console”)
• πολιτικός μηχανικός m (politikós michanikós, “civil engineer”)

Further reading

• μηχανή on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el
• μηχανή, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language