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.

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 • (arákhnē) f (genitive ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης); first declension

1. Feminine form of ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (arákhnēs).
   • 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.

   1. spider web

      Synonym: ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐον (arákhnion)

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

      Synonym: σφονδῠ́λῐον (sphondúlion)

   3. A kind of sundial (mollusc).

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη; τῆς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη hē arákhnē	τὼ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ tṑ arákhnā	αἱ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναι hai arákhnai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης tês arákhnēs	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναιν toîn arákhnain	τῶν ᾰ̓ρᾰχνῶν tôn arakhnôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῃ têi arákhnēi	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναιν toîn arákhnain	ταῖς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναις taîs arákhnais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνην tḕn arákhnēn	τὼ ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ tṑ arákhnā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱς tā̀s arákhnās
Vocative	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη arákhnē	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνᾱ arákhnā	ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χναι arákhnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνᾰ́ομαι (arakhnáomai)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνοειδής (arakhnoeidḗs)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰχνώδης (arakhnṓdēs)
• σῠνᾰρᾰχνόομαι (sunarakhnóomai)

Related terms

• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνης (arákhnēs)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐον (arákhnion)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐόω (arákhnióō)
• ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνῐώδης (arákhniṓdēs)

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 (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • spider idem, page 801.