ἄναξ

See also: άναξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ϝᾰ́νᾰξ (wắnăx) — Doric, Laconian, Corinthian, Cypriot
ᾰ̓νᾰκός (ănăkós) — unknown
𐠲𐠙𐠸 (wa-na-kse) — Cypriot

Etymology

From earlier ϝᾰ́νᾰξ (wắnăx), ϝᾰ́νᾰκος (wắnăkos). Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀷𐀙𐀏 (wa-na-ka) as well as Phrygian ουανακταν (ouanaktan /⁠wanaktan⁠/), Old Phrygian ϝανακτει (vanaktei), which may be an early loan from Greek^[1] or from a common third source.

The further origin is unknown, but likely a borrowing from a Pre-Greek substrate language, compare Aquitanian andox.^[1] Various alternative Indo-European etymologies have been proposed, including:

Cognate with Tocharian A nātäk (“lord”) (female counterpart nāśi (“queen”); cf. ᾰ̓́νᾰσσᾰ (ắnăssă), ϝᾰ́νᾰσσᾰ (wắnăssă)), from a Proto-Indo-European *w(n̥)nákts (“lord”).^[2]
Cognate with Sanskrit वणिज् (vaṇíj, “merchant, businessman”, an epithet of Indra in Vedic texts) from a Proto-Indo-European compound *wn̥-h₂eǵ-(t)- composed of *wenh₁- (“to strive”) + *h₂eǵ- (“to drive, lead”).^[3]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.naks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.naks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.naks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.naks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.naks/

Noun

ᾰ̓́νᾰξ • (ắnăx) m (genitive ᾰ̓́νᾰκτος); third declension

lord; king
1. (of men)
  - 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.442–443:
    ὦ Χρύση, πρό μ’ ἔπεμψεν ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀγαμέμνων
    παῖδά τε σοὶ ἀγέμεν
    ô Khrúsē, pró m’ épempsen ánax andrôn Agamémnōn
    paîdá te soì agémen
    Chryses, Agamemnon, king of men, sent me forth
    to bring to you your daughter.
2. (of gods, often Apollo and Zeus)
  - 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 3.351:
    Ζεῦ ἄνα δὸς τῑ́σασθαι ὅ με πρότερος κάκ’ ἔοργε
    δῖον Ἀλέξανδρον, καὶ ἐμῇς ὑπὸ χερσὶ δάμασσον
    Zeû ána dòs tī́sasthai hó me próteros kák’ éorge
    dîon Aléxandron, kaì emēîs hupò khersì dámasson
    O Lord Zeus, grant me to punish the man who first has done me wrong,
    noble Alexander, and beat him down under my hands
  - 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Homeric Hymn to Apollo 14–15:
    χαῖρε, μάκαιρ’ ὦ Λητοῖ, ἐπεὶ τέκες ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,
    Ᾱ̓πόλλωνά τ’ ἄνακτα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ῑ̓οχέαιραν,
    khaîre, mákair’ ô Lētoî, epeì tékes aglaà tékna,
    Āpóllōná t’ ánakta kaì Ártemin īokhéairan,
    Rejoice, blessed Leto, since you have borne glorious children —
    the lord Apollo and Artemis strewer of arrows,
  - 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 513:
    νῦν δ’ αὖτε σωτὴρ ἴσθι καὶ παιώνιος,
    ἄναξ Ἄπολλον.
    nûn d’ aûte sōtḕr ísthi kaì paiṓnios,
    ánax Ápollon.
    But, in other mood, be our preserver and our healer,
    O lord Apollo.
master, owner
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.397–398:
  αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν οἴκοιο ἄναξ ἔσομ’ ἡμετέροιο
  καὶ δμώων, οὕς μοι ληίσσατο δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς.
  autàr egṑn oíkoio ánax ésom’ hēmetéroio
  kaì dmṓōn, hoús moi lēíssato dîos Odusseús.
  [Telemachus:] But I shall be lord of our own house
  and of the slaves that godlike Odysseus won for me."

Usage notes

Often used to refer to Apollo.
The vocative singular ᾰ̓́νᾰ (ắnă) is used only as an address to gods, as in Ζεῦ ἄνα (Zeû ána, “O Zeus”), and is also used in the same fashion for the feminine equivalent ᾰ̓́νᾰσσᾰ (ắnăssă, “lady; queen”).
The vocative singular forms ᾰ̓́νᾰξ (ắnăx) and ᾰ̓́νᾰ (ắnă) have the poetic variants ὦνᾰξ (ônăx) and ὦνᾰ (ônă), which are the result of contractions with a preceding vocative particle ὦ (ô, “O”), as in ὦ ἄναξ (ô ánax) and ὦ ἄνα (ô ána).

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓́νᾰξ; τοῦ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓́νᾰξ ho ắnăx	τὼ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτε tṑ ắnăkte	οἱ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτες hoi ắnăktes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτος toû ắnăktos	τοῖν ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτοιν toîn ănắktoin	τῶν ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτων tôn ănắktōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτῐ tōî ắnăktĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτοιν toîn ănắktoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́νᾰξῐ / ᾰ̓́νᾰξῐν toîs ắnăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓́νᾰκτᾰ tòn ắnăktă	τὼ ᾰ̓́νᾰκτε tṑ ắnăkte	τοὺς ᾰ̓́νᾰκτᾰς toùs ắnăktăs
Vocative	ᾰ̓́νᾰξ / ὦνᾰξ / ᾰ̓́νᾰ / ὦνᾰ ắnăx / ônăx / ắnă / ônă	ᾰ̓́νᾰκτε ắnăkte	ᾰ̓́νᾰκτες ắnăktes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰξ; τοῦ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτος (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰξ ho wắnăx	τὼ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτε tṑ wắnăkte	τοὶ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτες toì wắnăktes
Genitive	τοῦ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτος toû wắnăktos	τοῖν ϝᾰ̓νᾰ́κτοιν toîn wănắktoin	τῶν ϝᾰ̓νᾰ́κτων tôn wănắktōn
Dative	τῷ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτῐ tōî wắnăktĭ	τοῖν ϝᾰ̓νᾰ́κτοιν toîn wănắktoin	τοῖς ϝᾰ̓́νᾰξῐ / ϝᾰ̓́νᾰξῐν toîs wắnăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτᾰ tòn wắnăktă	τὼ ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτε tṑ wắnăkte	τὼς ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτᾰς tṑs wắnăktăs
Vocative	ϝᾰ̓́νᾰξ / ϝᾰ̓́νᾰ wắnăx / wắnă	ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτε wắnăkte	ϝᾰ̓́νᾰκτες wắnăktes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Synonyms

ᾰ̓́νᾰσσᾰ (ắnăssă, “queen”) (feminine), βᾰσῐλεύς (băsĭleús), δεσπότης (despótēs), κοίρᾰνος (koírănos), κῡ́ρῐος (kū́rĭos), μεδέων (medéōn), μέδων (médōn), πρῠ́τᾰνῐς (prŭ́tănĭs), τῠ́ρᾰννος (tŭ́rănnos)

Derived terms

Ᾰ̓νᾰ́κειᾰ (Ănắkeiă)
ᾰνᾰ́κειον (ănắkeion)
ᾰ̓́νᾰκες (ắnăkes)
ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτερος (ănắkteros)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτορεῖον (ănăktoreîon)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρειον (Ănăktóreion)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρεος (ănăktóreos)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτορῐ́ᾱ (Ănăktorĭ́ā)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτορῐ́ᾱ (ănăktorĭ́ā)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτορῐ́η (ănăktorĭ́ē)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρῐον (ănăktórĭon)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρῐον (Ănăktórĭon)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρῐος (Ănăktórĭos)
ᾰ̓νᾰκτόρῐος (ănăktórĭos)
ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτορον (ănắktoron)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτοτελεσταί (Ănăktotelestaí)
Ᾰ̓νᾰκτοτελέσται (Ănăktoteléstai)
ᾰ̓νᾰ́κτωρ (ănắktōr)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξᾰγόρᾱς (Ănăxăgórās)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξᾰγόρειος (Ănăxăgóreios)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξᾰ́νδρᾱ (Ănăxắndrā)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξᾰνδρῐ́δης (Ănăxăndrĭ́dēs)
Ᾰ̓νᾰ́ξᾰνδρος (Ănắxăndros)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξᾰρέτη (Ănăxărétē)
Ᾰ̓νᾰ́ξᾰρχος (Ănắxărkhos)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐ́ᾱ (ănăxĭ́ā)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐ́ᾰλος (ănăxĭ́ălos)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐβῐ́ᾱ (Ănăxĭbĭ́ā)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐ́βῐος (Ănăxĭ́bĭos)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐβρέντᾱς (ănăxĭbréntās)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐδώρᾱ (ănăxĭdṓrā)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐκρᾰ́της (Ănăxĭkrắtēs)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐμᾰνδρῐ́δης (Ănăxĭmăndrĭ́dēs)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐ́μᾰνδρος (Ănăxĭ́măndros)
Ᾰ̓νᾰξῐμένης (Ănăxĭménēs)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐ́μολπος (ănăxĭ́molpos)
Ᾰ̓νᾰ́ξῐππος (Ănắxĭppos)
ᾰ̓νᾰξῐφόρμῐγξ (ănăxĭphórmĭnx)
ᾰ̓́νᾰσσᾰ (ắnăssă)
ᾰ̓νᾰ́σσω (ănắssō)
Ᾰ̓στῠᾰ́νᾰξ (Ăstŭắnăx)
ᾰ̓στῠᾰ́νᾰξ (ăstŭắnăx)
Ᾰ̓στῠᾰ́νᾰσσᾰ (Ăstŭắnăssă)
εὐδῐᾰ́νᾰξ (eudĭắnăx)
εὐρυᾰ́νᾰξ (euruắnăx)
Εὐρῠᾰ́νᾰσσᾰ (Eurŭắnăssă)
ῐ̔ππῐᾰ́νᾰξ (hĭppĭắnăx)
Ῐ̔ππῶνᾰξ (Hĭppônăx)
οἰκῶνᾰξ (oikônăx)
πᾱσῐᾰ́νᾰξ (pāsĭắnăx)
Πλειστοᾰ́νᾰξ (Pleistoắnăx)
πῠρῐπηγᾰ́νᾰξ (pŭrĭpēgắnăx)
Τῑμῶνᾰξ (Tīmônăx)
χειρῶνᾰξ (kheirônăx)

Descendants

Greek: άναξ (ánax)
→ Translingual: Anax

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἄναξ, -ακτος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 98-99
^ Mallory, J. P. with Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World (Oxford Linguistics), New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 268
^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), “*h₂eĝ-”, in Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon [Nouns in the Indo-European Lexicon] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, pages 267, 270