γέννα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

(deprecated use of |lang= parameter) (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡén.na/ → /ˈʝen.na/ → /ˈʝe.na/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡén.na/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡen.na/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝen.na/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈʝen.na/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.na/

Noun

γέννᾰ or γέννᾱ • (génna or génnā) f (genitive γέννης or γέννᾱς); first declension (Poetic)

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Synonym of γένος (génos)
   1. descent, lineage
   2. origin
      • 2nd century CE, w:Secundus the Silent, Sententiae. 15.

        γῆ γέννα πάντων

        gê génna pántōn

        the earth origin of everyone/everything

   3. offspring, generation
      • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 853:

        πέμπτη δ’ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ γέννα

        pémptē d’ ap’ autoû génna

        the fifth generation after him

   4. family (children), race
2. (of the Moon) coming forth
3. (Medieval Greek):
   1. γέννα • (génna) f (genitive γέννας); first declension
      1. childbirth (process of childbearing)
      2. family
      3. (of the Moon, expression) “γέννα τῆς σελήνης (génna tês selḗnēs)”: moonrise (literally: the birth of the Moon)
   2. (6th century CE)
      1. Christmas

         Synonym: τὰ Χριστούγεννα

Inflection

First declension of ἡ γέννᾰ; τῆς γέννης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέννᾰ hē génna	τὼ γέννᾱ tṑ génnā	αἱ γένναι hai génnai
Genitive	τῆς γέννης tês génnēs	τοῖν γένναιν toîn génnain	τῶν γεννῶν tôn gennôn
Dative	τῇ γέννῃ têi génnēi	τοῖν γένναιν toîn génnain	ταῖς γένναις taîs génnais
Accusative	τὴν γέννᾰν tḕn génnan	τὼ γέννᾱ tṑ génnā	τᾱ̀ς γέννᾱς tā̀s génnās
Vocative	γέννᾰ génna	γέννᾱ génnā	γένναι génnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ γέννᾱ; τῆς γέννᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γέννᾱ hē génnā	τὼ γέννᾱ tṑ génnā	αἱ γένναι hai génnai
Genitive	τῆς γέννᾱς tês génnās	τοῖν γένναιν toîn génnain	τῶν γεννῶν tôn gennôn
Dative	τῇ γέννᾳ têi génnāi	τοῖν γένναιν toîn génnain	ταῖς γένναις taîs génnais
Accusative	τὴν γέννᾱν tḕn génnān	τὼ γέννᾱ tṑ génnā	τᾱ̀ς γέννᾱς tā̀s génnās
Vocative	γέννᾱ génnā	γέννᾱ génnā	γένναι génnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• γεννάω / γεννῶ
• γέννας (génnas, “uncle”, masculine noun)
• also see τοκετός (toketós)

Descendants

From Medieval Greek:

• Greek: γέννα (génna)

Further reading

• “γέννᾰ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γέννα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γέννα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• γέννα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• γέννα - Kriaras, Emmanuel (1969-) Επιτομή του Λεξικού της Μεσαιωνικής Ελληνικής Δημώδους Γραμματείας (Epitomí tou Lexikoú tis Mesaionikís Ellinikís Dimódous Grammateías) [Concise Dictionary of the Kriaras' Dictionary of Medieval Vulgar Greek Literature (1100–1669) Vols. 1–14. Vols 15- under I. Kazazes.)] (in Greek), Thessaloniki: Centre for the Greek language Online edition (abbreviations) Printed edition 2022: 22 vols.)

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Greek

Pronunciation

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈʝe.na/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Hyphenation: γέν‧να

Etymology 1

From Byzantine Greek γέννα (génna) from verb γεννῶ. The Ancient Greek noun γέννα had a different meaning: “ancestry, descendant”‎).

Noun

γέννα • (génna) f (plural γέννες)

1. birth (process of childbearing)

Usage notes

• The very rare genitive plural “των γεννών”, is either archaic (“τῶν γεννῶν”), or regional demotic, or used for veterinary archives “αρχείο γεννών” ‎(archeío gennón, “archive of births/labours”‎) while the common “αρχείο γεννήσεων” ‎(archeío genníseon, “archive of births”‎) has to do with childbirths and registration.

Declension

Declension of γέννα

	singular	plural
nominative	γέννα •	γέννες •
genitive	γέννας •	—
accusative	γέννα •	γέννες •
vocative	γέννα •	γέννες •
Genitive plural των γεννών (see Usage notes).

Synonyms

• γέννηση f (génnisi)
• τοκετός m (toketós)

Related terms

• γεννώ (gennó, “give birth or beget”)
• Χριστούγεννα (Christoúgenna, “Christmas”)

Etymology 2

Inflectional form of the verb γεννάω (gennáo) / γεννώ (gennó, “to give birth”).

Verb

γέννα • (génna)

1. 2nd person singular imperfective imperative form of γεννάω (gennáo). (also: γένναγε)
2. 2nd person singular perfective imperative form of γεννάω (gennáo). (also: γέννησε)