μῆνιγξ

See also: Μῆνιγξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The semantic parallel with words like Latin membrāna (“membrane”) and Balto-Slavic words like Latvian miesa (“flesh”), Russian мя́со (mjáso, “meat”) and Polish mięso (“meat”), all ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *mems- (“flesh, meat”), is striking. However, this word cannot be combined with them. The unexplained -ν-, together with the suffix -ιγγ-, clearly points to a word.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.niŋks/ → /ˈmi.niŋks/ → /ˈmi.niŋks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛ̂ː.niŋks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈme̝.niŋks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmi.niŋks/

Noun

μῆνῐγξ • (mêninx) f (genitive μήνῐγγος); third declension

1. (in general) membrane, cuticle
   1. membrane of the eye
   2. drum of the ear, eardrum
   3. membrane enclosing the brain, dura mater
   4. scum on milk

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ μῆνῐγξ; τῆς μήνῐγγος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μῆνῐγξ hē mêninx	τὼ μήνῐγγε tṑ mḗninge	αἱ μήνῐγγες hai mḗninges
Genitive	τῆς μήνῐγγος tês mḗningos	τοῖν μηνῐ́γγοιν toîn mēníngoin	τῶν μηνῐ́γγων tôn mēníngōn
Dative	τῇ μήνῐγγῐ têi mḗningi	τοῖν μηνῐ́γγοιν toîn mēníngoin	ταῖς μήνῐγξῐ / μήνῐγξῐν taîs mḗninxi(n)
Accusative	τὴν μήνῐγγᾰ tḕn mḗninga	τὼ μήνῐγγε tṑ mḗninge	τᾱ̀ς μήνῐγγᾰς tā̀s mḗningas
Vocative	μῆνῐγξ mêninx	μήνῐγγε mḗninge	μήνῐγγες mḗninges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• μηνῐ́γγῐον (mēníngion, diminutive)
• μηνῐγγότρωτος (mēningótrōtos)
• μηνῐγγοφῠ́λᾰξ (mēningophúlax)

Descendants

• ⇒ Latin: mēninga
• → New Latin: mēninx
  • → English: meninx

References

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

Further reading

• μῆνιγξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• μῆνιγξ in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN