νάρκη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• νάρκᾰ (nárkă)

Etymology

Traditionally, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)nerk-, an extension of *(s)ner- (“to turn, twist”) shared with Proto-Germanic *snerhaną, *snarhōną (“to twist, wind, swing; to knot, braid; to snare”) and *snarhǭ (“swing, loop, noose, snare”), along with (less likely) Old Armenian ներգև (nergew, “weak, fragile, small”). However, the semantics and shape of the Greek make this unlikely, and so Beekes considers it more likely Pre-Greek.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /nár.kɛː/ → /ˈnar.ci/ → /ˈnar.ci/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /nár.kɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈnar.ke̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈnar.ci/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈnar.ci/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈnar.ci/

Noun

νάρκη • (nárkē) f (genitive νάρκης); first declension

1. numbness, torpor
2. stingray, electric ray

Inflection

First declension of ἡ νάρκη; τῆς νάρκης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ νάρκη hē nárkē	τὼ νάρκᾱ tṑ nárkā	αἱ νάρκαι hai nárkai
Genitive	τῆς νάρκης tês nárkēs	τοῖν νάρκαιν toîn nárkain	τῶν ναρκῶν tôn narkôn
Dative	τῇ νάρκῃ tēî nárkēi	τοῖν νάρκαιν toîn nárkain	ταῖς νάρκαις taîs nárkais
Accusative	τὴν νάρκην tḕn nárkēn	τὼ νάρκᾱ tṑ nárkā	τᾱ̀ς νάρκᾱς tā̀s nárkās
Vocative	νάρκη nárkē	νάρκᾱ nárkā	νάρκαι nárkai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ναρκάω (narkáō)
• ναρκόω (narkóō)

Descendants

• → Greek: νάρκη (nárki) (learned)
• → Old Armenian: նարկա (narka), ներկէս (nerkēs)
• → Old Georgian: ნარკი (narḳi, “stingray, electric ray”)

Further reading

• “νάρκη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “νάρκη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• νάρκη 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.
  • inertness idem, page 436.
  • insensibility idem, page 444.
  • lethargy idem, page 486.
  • numbness idem, page 563.
  • paralysis idem, page 592.
  • torpor idem, page 881.
  • unconsciousness idem, page 910.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “narcotic”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Clarendon Press, 1989.

Greek

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νάρκη (nárkē, “torpor, numbness; electric ray”). The "mine, landmine" sense is a loose semantic loan from French torpille (“electric ray; torpedo”), whence also τορπίλη (torpíli, “torpedo”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɾ.ci/
• Hyphenation: νάρ‧κη

Noun

νάρκη • (nárki) f (plural νάρκες)

1. torpor, stupor, lethargy
2. numbness
3. (military) mine, landmine

Declension

Declension of νάρκη

	singular	plural
nominative	νάρκη (nárki)	νάρκες (nárkes)
genitive	νάρκης (nárkis)	ναρκών (narkón)
accusative	νάρκη (nárki)	νάρκες (nárkes)
vocative	νάρκη (nárki)	νάρκες (nárkes)

Derived terms

• ναρκοληψία f (narkolipsía, “narcolepsy”)

Related terms

• αποναρκώνω (aponarkóno, “to stupify”)
• χειμερία νάρκη f (cheimería nárki, “hibernation”)

Further reading

• νάρκη on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el