μιαιφόνος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From μῐαίνω (miaínō, “stain”) + -φόνος (“-killer”), φόνος (phónos, “murder”) (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mi.ai̯.pʰó.nos/ → /mi.ɛˈɸo.nos/ → /mi.eˈfo.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mi.ai̯.pʰó.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /mi.ɛˈpʰo.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mi.ɛˈɸo.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mi.eˈfo.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mi.eˈfo.nos/

Adjective

μῐαιφόνος • (miaiphónos) m or f (neuter μῐαιφόνον); second declension

1. bloodthirsty, murderous (epithet of Mars (Ares))
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.31:

     Ἄρες Ἄρες βροτολοιγὲ μιαιφόνε τειχεσιπλῆτα

     Áres Áres brotoloigè miaiphóne teikhesiplêta

     Ares, Ares, thou bane of mortals, thou blood-stained stormer of walls

     English translation by A.T. Murray @perseus

     Goddess Athena addresses Ares (Mars)

   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.455:

     Apollo speaks the same phrase: Ἄρες Ἄρες βροτολοιγὲ μιαιφόνε τειχεσιπλῆτα (Áres Áres brotoloigè miaiphóne teikhesiplêta)

     Apollo speaks the same phrase: Áres Áres brotoloigè miaiphóne teikhesiplêta (Áres Áres brotoloigè miaiphóne teikhesiplêta)

   • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 334:

     μιαιφόνον μὲν οὐκέτ’ ἂν φύγοι μύσος

     miaiphónon mèn oukét’ àn phúgoi músos

     From that point on she will not escape the pollution of murder.

     English translation by David Kovacs @perseus.tufts.edu

   • 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, 5. Τερψιχόρη 92

     ὑμεῖς ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἰσοκρατίας καταλύοντες τυραννίδας ἐς τὰς πόλις κατάγειν παρασκευάζεσθε, τοῦ οὔτε ἀδικώτερον ἐστὶ οὐδὲν κατ’ ἀνθρώπους οὔτε μιαιφονώτερον.

     humeîs ô Lakedaimónioi isokratías katalúontes turannídas es tàs pólis katágein paraskeuázesthe, toû oúte adikṓteron estì oudèn kat’ anthrṓpous oúte miaiphonṓteron.

     you, Lacedaemonians, are destroying the rule of equals and making ready to bring back tyranny into the cities, tyranny, a thing more unrighteous and bloodthirsty than anything else on this earth.

     English translation (1920) by A. D. Godley @perseus.tufts.edu

   • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 266:

     ὅταν δ’ ἐς εὐνὴν ἠδικημένη κυρῇ,
     οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη φρὴν μιαιφονωτέρα.

     hótan d’ es eunḕn ēdikēménē kurêi,
     ouk éstin állē phrḕn miaiphonōtéra.

     but when she is injured in love,
     no mind is more murderous than hers.

     English translation by David Kovacs @perseus.tufts.edu

Inflection

Second declension of μῐαιφόνος; μῐαιφόνον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		μῐαιφόνος miaiphónos	μῐαιφόνον miaiphónon		μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō	μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō		μῐαιφόνοι miaiphónoi	μῐαιφόνᾰ miaiphóna
Genitive		μῐαιφόνου miaiphónou	μῐαιφόνου miaiphónou		μῐαιφόνοιν miaiphónoin	μῐαιφόνοιν miaiphónoin		μῐαιφόνων miaiphónōn	μῐαιφόνων miaiphónōn
Dative		μῐαιφόνῳ miaiphónōi	μῐαιφόνῳ miaiphónōi		μῐαιφόνοιν miaiphónoin	μῐαιφόνοιν miaiphónoin		μῐαιφόνοις miaiphónois	μῐαιφόνοις miaiphónois
Accusative		μῐαιφόνον miaiphónon	μῐαιφόνον miaiphónon		μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō	μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō		μῐαιφόνους miaiphónous	μῐαιφόνᾰ miaiphóna
Vocative		μῐαιφόνε miaiphóne	μῐαιφόνον miaiphónon		μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō	μῐαιφόνω miaiphónō		μῐαιφόνοι miaiphónoi	μῐαιφόνᾰ miaiphóna
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		μῐαιφόνως miaiphónōs			μῐαιφονώτερος miaiphonṓteros			μῐαιφονώτᾰτος miaiphonṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “μιαιφόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μιαιφόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μιαιφόνος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers