μῆλον

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.lon/ → /ˈmi.lon/ → /ˈmi.lon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.lon/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈme̝.lon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.lon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.lon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.lon/

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Compare Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”), Hittite 𒊭𒈠𒇻 (šamalu-, “apple”), Hittite 𒊭𒄠𒇻 (šamlu-, “apple”) and Proto-Kartvelian *msxal- (“pear”).

Multiple theories have been put forth:

Theories on the origin of μῆλον

• Beekes (2010) declares it to be a Pre-Greek Mediterranean substrate borrowing, comparing it with Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”).

• Kroonen (2016) reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European byform *smh₂l-, from which he also derives Hittite 𒊭𒈠𒇻 (šamalu-), 𒊭𒄠𒇻 (šamlu-) "apple". He also connects this IE form with Proto-Kartvelian *msxal- (“pear”) and proposes that the Indo-European words may have come from a metathesis of that Kartvelian word.

• Fenwick (2016) also argues for an ultimate Indo-European origin, though with differing details, and views the Kartvelian term rather as an IE loan. She reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *méh₂lo- (“cultivated tree, cultivated vine”), with a variant *móh₂lo- (“id.”). This variant is visible in e.g. Hittite 𒈠𒀀𒄴𒆷𒀸 (māḫlaš, “grapevine”), Lydian μῶλαξ (môlax, “type of wine”), and Armenian մոլ (mol, “sucker, runner, stolon”). She takes this variation as evidence of an earlier acrostatic root noun *móh₂l- (“type of culturally important plant”) - which got thematized later on - showing a range of other derived forms. She further treats *móh₂l- itself as a possible archaic *-l- deverbal noun from *meh₂- (“to grow, increase, mature, be fruitful”). She compares this development to that of *webʰl- (“weevil, beetle, worm”), which she derives from *webʰ- (“to weave”)).

Alternative forms

• μᾶλον (mâlon) — Doric, Aeolic

Noun

μῆλον • (mêlon) n (genitive μήλου); second declension

1. apple
2. any fruit from a tree
3. (figuratively, in the plural) a woman's breast
4. (in the plural) cheeks

Declension

Second declension of τὸ μῆλον; τοῦ μήλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon	τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō	τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tà mêla
Genitive	τοῦ μήλου toû mḗlou	τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin	τῶν μήλων tôn mḗlōn
Dative	τῷ μήλῳ tôi mḗlōi	τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin	τοῖς μήλοις toîs mḗlois
Accusative	τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon	τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō	τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tà mêla
Vocative	μῆλον mêlon	μήλω mḗlō	μῆλᾰ mêla
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of τὸ μᾶλον; τοῦ μᾱ́λω (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μᾶλον tò mâlon	τὼ μᾱ́λω tṑ mā́lō	τᾰ̀ μᾶλᾰ tà mâla
Genitive	τοῦ μᾱ́λω toû mā́lō	τοῖν μᾱ́λοιν toîn mā́loin	τῶν μᾱ́λων tôn mā́lōn
Dative	τῷ μᾱ́λῳ tôi mā́lōi	τοῖν μᾱ́λοιν toîn mā́loin	τοῖς μᾱ́λοις toîs mā́lois
Accusative	τὸ μᾶλον tò mâlon	τὼ μᾱ́λω tṑ mā́lō	τᾰ̀ μᾱ́λως tà mā́lōs
Vocative	μᾶλον mâlon	μᾱ́λω mā́lō	μᾶλᾰ mâla
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̔μᾰμηλῐ́ς (hamamēlís)
• ἀρίμηλον (arímēlon)
• γλυκύμηλον (glukúmēlon)
• ἐπῐμηλῐ́ς (epimēlís)
• κεδρόμηλον (kedrómēlon)
• κιτρόμηλον (kitrómēlon)
• κοκκῠ́μηλον (kokkúmēlon)
• λιτρόμηλον (litrómēlon)
• μελίμηλον (melímēlon)
• μηλέα (mēléa)
• μήλειος (mḗleios)
• μήλινος (mḗlinos)
• μηλινόχρους (mēlinókhrous)
• μηλίτης (mēlítēs)
• μηλοβολέω (mēloboléō)
• μηλοειδής (mēloeidḗs)
• μηλόκαρπον (mēlókarpon)
• μηλοκυδώνιον (mēlokudṓnion)
• μηλομαχία (mēlomakhía)
• μηλοπάρειος (mēlopáreios)
• μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn)
• μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn)
• μηλοῦχος (mēloûkhos)
• μηλοφάγος (mēlophágos)
• μηλοφορέω (mēlophoréō)
• μηλοφορία (mēlophoría)
• μηλοφόρος (mēlophóros)
• μηλόχροος (mēlókhroos)
• μηλόχρους (mēlókhrous)
• μῆλοψ (mêlops)
• μήλοψ (mḗlops)
• μηλώδης (mēlṓdēs)
• μήλωθρον (mḗlōthron)
• μηλών (mēlṓn)
• ῥοδόμηλον (rhodómēlon)
• Φιλομήλη (Philomḗlē)
• φιλόμηλος (philómēlos)
• χρῡσόμηλον (khrūsómēlon)

 

Descendants

• Greek: μήλο (mílo)
• Tsakonian: μάλι (máli)
• → Proto-Albanian: *mālā (via Doric μᾶλα (mâla))
  • Albanian: mollë
• → Latin: mālum, mēlum, mēlo
  • → Translingual: Malus

Etymology 2

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₁l- (“small animal”). Compare Old Irish mil (“small animal”), Dutch maal (“young cow”), Old Church Slavonic малъ (malŭ), Old English smæl (English small). Despite phonetic and semantic similarities, likely unrelated to Old Armenian մալ (mal, “cattle”), which stems from Arabic مَال (māl, “property”) instead.

Alternative forms

• μεῖλον (meîlon) — Boeotian

Noun

μῆλον • (mêlon) n (genitive μήλου); second declension

1. sheep
2. goat
3. beast

Declension

Second declension of τὸ μῆλον; τοῦ μήλου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon	τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō	τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tà mêla
Genitive	τοῦ μήλου toû mḗlou	τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin	τῶν μήλων tôn mḗlōn
Dative	τῷ μήλῳ tôi mḗlōi	τοῖν μήλοιν toîn mḗloin	τοῖς μήλοις toîs mḗlois
Accusative	τὸ μῆλον tò mêlon	τὼ μήλω tṑ mḗlō	τᾰ̀ μῆλᾰ tà mêla
Vocative	μῆλον mêlon	μήλω mḗlō	μῆλᾰ mêla
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Εὔμηλος (Eúmēlos)
• μηλᾰ́της (mēlátēs)
• μήλειος (mḗleios)
• μηλοβατέω (mēlobatéō)
• μηλοβοσκός (mēloboskós)
• μηλοβότας (mēlobótas)
• μηλοβοτέω (mēlobotéō)
• μηλοβοτήρ (mēlobotḗr)
• μηλοβότης (mēlobótēs)
• μηλόβοτος (mēlóbotos)
• μηλοθύτης (mēlothútēs)
• μηλοκτόνος (mēloktónos)
• μηλονόμης (mēlonómēs)
• μηλονόμος (mēlonómos)
• μηλοσκόπος (mēloskópos)
• μηλοσόη (mēlosóē)
• μηλοσσόος (mēlossóos)
• μηλοσφαγέω (mēlosphagéō)
• μηλοσφαγία (mēlosphagía)
• μηλοτρόφος (mēlotróphos)
• μηλοφόνος (mēlophónos)
• μηλοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēlophúlax)
• μηλώσιος (mēlṓsios)
• μηλωτή (mēlōtḗ)
• πολύμηλος (polúmēlos)
• φερέμηλος (pherémēlos)

 

Further reading

• “μῆλον (Α)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μῆλον (Β)”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μῆλον”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μῆλον”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μῆλον in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μῆλον”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• μῆλον in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[2], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • apple idem, page 35.