ἀράχνη

See also: Ἀράχνη and αράχνη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pre-Greek origin, although related to Latin arānea. Whether it is the source of the Latin term or they both originated from a different common source is unclear. Basque armiarma and Basque aramu possibly may be distantly related to the substrate.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.rá.kʰnɛː/ → /aˈra.xni/ → /aˈra.xni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.rá.kʰnɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈra.kʰne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈra.xni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈra.xni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈra.xni/

Noun

ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη • (ărắkhnē) f (genitive ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης); first declension

1. Feminine form of ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (ărắkhnēs).
   • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1492:

     κεῖσαι δ᾽ ἀράχνης ἐν ὑφάσματι τῷδ᾽ ἀσεβεῖ θανάτῳ βίον ἐκπνέων.

     keîsai d’ arákhnēs en huphásmati tôid’ asebeî thanátōi bíon ekpnéōn.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. spider web

      Synonym: ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐον (ărắkhnĭon)

      • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 286
   2. cow parsnip

      Synonym: σφονδῠ́λῐον (sphondŭ́lĭon)

   3. A kind of sundial (mollusc).

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη; τῆς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη hē ărắkhnē	τὼ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ tṑ ărắkhnā	αἱ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναι hai ărắkhnai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης tês ărắkhnēs	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναιν toîn ărắkhnain	τῶν ᾰ̓ρᾰχνῶν tôn ărăkhnôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῃ têi ărắkhnēi	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναιν toîn ărắkhnain	ταῖς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναις taîs ărắkhnais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνην tḕn ărắkhnēn	τὼ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ tṑ ărắkhnā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱς tā̀s ărắkhnās
Vocative	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη ărắkhnē	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ ărắkhnā	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναι ărắkhnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνᾰ́ομαι (ărăkhnắomai)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνοειδής (ărăkhnoeidḗs)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνώδης (ărăkhnṓdēs)
• σῠνᾰρᾰχνόομαι (sŭnărăkhnóomai)

Related terms

• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (ărắkhnēs)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐον (ărắkhnĭon)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐόω (ărắkhnĭóō)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐώδης (ărắkhnĭṓdēs)

Descendants

• > Greek: αράχνη (aráchni) (inherited)
• > Pontic Greek: αράχνα (aráchna), ’ράχνα (’ráchna), ’ράχνα̤ (’ráchnä), αράνα (arána) (inherited)
  • → Laz: რახნა (raxna)
  • → Turkish: arahna, araḫana, rağna, rahna, raḫna
• > Tsakonian: αράχνα (aráchna), αράχλα (aráchla) (inherited)
• →? Latin: arānea
• ⇒ Translingual: Arachnida
  • ⇒ English: arachnoid
  • → French: arachnide
    • → English: arachnid

References

• “ἀράχνη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Further reading

• “ἀράχνη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀράχνη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀράχνη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • spider idem, page 801.