νύμφη

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Ancient Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (to marry, to wed), and compared with Latin nūbō (to marry) (whence English nubile). However, Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin, as the preceding theory does not explain the origin of the inner nasal -μ- (-m-); others including Kretschmer have also argued for substrate origin, comparing the proper name Νυμφασία (Numphasía).[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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νῠ́μφη (númphēf (genitive νῠ́μφης); first declension

  1. bride, young wife
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.492:
       [], νύμφας δ᾽ ἐκ θαλάμων δαΐδων ὕπο λαμπομενάων ἠγίνεον ἀνὰ ἄστυ, []
    1. young, nubile woman; marriageable maiden
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.560:
         []: καί ῥα ἄνακτος ἐναντίον εἵλετο τόξον Φοίβου Ἀπόλλωνος καλλισφύρου εἵνεκα νύμφης, []
         []: kaí rha ánaktos enantíon heíleto tóxon Phoíbou Apóllōnos kallisphúrou heíneka númphēs, []
    2. daughter-in-law
      • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, 1 Samuel 4.19:
        Καὶ νύμφη αὐτοῦ γυνὴ Φινεὲς συνειληφυῖα τοῦ τεκεῖν· []
        Kaì númphē autoû gunḕ Phineès suneilēphuîa toû tekeîn; []
      • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Ruth 1.8:
        Καὶ εἶπε Νωεμὶν, ταῖς δυσὶ νύμφαις αὐτῆς []
        Kaì eîpe Nōemìn, taîs dusì númphais autês []
    3. (Epigraphic Ancient Greek) young girl
  2. (Greek mythology, sometimes capitalized) nymph, goddess of lower rank
    • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 6.105:
       []: τῇ δέ θ᾽ ἅμα νύμφαι, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, ἀγρονόμοι παίζουσι, γέγηθε δέ τε φρένα Λητώ: []
    1. goddess of springs; (poetry) spring, spring water
  3. doll, puppet
    • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Julius Caesar 332d:
       [], ἥ τε μήτηρ τοῦ Καίσαρος Αὐρηλία γυνὴ σώφρων περιέπουσα τὴν νύμφην ἀεὶ χαλεπὴν καὶ παρακεκινδυνευμένην αὐτοῖς ἐποίει τὴν ἔντευξιν.
       [], hḗ te mḗtēr toû Kaísaros Aurēlía gunḕ sṓphrōn periépousa tḕn númphēn aeì khalepḕn kaì parakekinduneuménēn autoîs epoíei tḕn énteuxin.
  4. bee or wasp in pupa stage
    • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 5.19:
       []· ὅταν δ' ἐκ τῶν σκωλήκων εἰς τὴν διατύπωσιν ἔλθωσι, καλοῦνται μὲν νύμφαι τότε, []
       []; hótan d' ek tôn skōlḗkōn eis tḕn diatúpōsin élthōsi, kaloûntai mèn númphai tóte, []
  5. winged male ant
    • 5th century CE, Hesychius Alexandreus, Συναγωγὴ Πασῶν Λέξεων κατὰ Στοιχεῖον
  6. A kind of mollusk.
  7. (agriculture) point of a plowshare
  8. (anatomy) hollow between the lower lip and the chin
    1. (zootomy) depression on the shoulder of a horse
  9. opening rosebud
  10. (anatomy) clitoris, also the labia minora [from 2nd c.]
    • 129 CE – 216 CE, Galen, Of the Uses of the Different Parts of the Human Body 15.3
  11. niche

Inflection

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Antonyms

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Antonym: νυμφίος (numphíos, a bridegroom)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Greek: νύμφη (nýmfi, nymph; bride), νύφη (nýfi, bride; in-law)
  • Mariupol Greek: нимф (nimf, fairy), ныф (nyf, bride; in-law)
  • Latin: lympha, nympha (see there for further descendants)
  • Russian: ни́мфа (nímfa)

References

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  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “νύμφη”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1026

Further reading

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Greek

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē).

Noun

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νύμφη (nýmfif (plural νύμφες)

  1. bride
  2. (Greek mythology) nymph, female sprite, female nature spirit
  3. (zoology) nymph, larva
  4. (zoology) pupa, chrysalis

Declension

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Synonyms

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Further reading

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