μασχάλη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The formation is similar to that of ᾰ̓γκᾰ́λη (ănkắlē, “bent arm”), but further details are unclear, with Beekes preferring to take the word as Pre-Greek.[1]

Meanwhile, Douglas Q. Adams has presented a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱsleh₂, via *h₂eḱs- (“axis, axle”), ultimately from the root *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”), and source to Latin āla (“wing, armpit”), axilla (“little wing, armpit”) as well as Proto-Germanic *ahslō (“shoulder”). He finds that a Proto-Hellenic *aksalā could have given *askhalā by simple metathesis, while the initial m- could be either the product of a misdivision of the definite article plus noun (e. g. in the accusative singular *tām aksalā as well as in the respective genitive and dative dual, and genitive plural forms) or a contamination with the semantically similar μάλη (málē, “armpit”) and μαζός (mazós, “breast”).[2] As Beekes notes, this derivation is possible but "very bold".[1]

Immanuel Löw explains it as a Semitic borrowing, related to Jewish Babylonian Aramaic מַתְחֲלָא (maṯḥălā, “calyx surrounding the date in its early state, or spathe of a date-palm”), possibly related to Arabic حُثَالَة (ḥuṯāla, “husks of grain or of dates, refuse of any crop”), both of uncertain internal relations.[3]

Pronunciation

 

Noun

μᾰσχᾰ́λη • (măskhắlē) f (genitive μᾰσχᾰ́λης); first declension

  1. (anatomy) armpit, axilla
    Synonym: μάλη (málē)
  2. (botany) axil, hollow at the base of a shoot
  3. branch, young palm twig
  4. (geography) bay, gulf
  5. part of the prow of a ship, to which the foresail is fastened

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μᾰσχᾰ́λη; τῆς μᾰσχᾰ́λης (Attic)
Case / # Singular Dual Plural
Nominative ἡ μᾰσχᾰ́λη
hē măskhắlē 		τὼ μᾰσχᾰ́λᾱ
tṑ măskhắlā 		αἱ μᾰσχᾰ́λαι
hai măskhắlai
Genitive τῆς μᾰσχᾰ́λης
tês măskhắlēs 		τοῖν μᾰσχᾰ́λαιν
toîn măskhắlain 		τῶν μᾰσχᾰλῶν
tôn măskhălôn
Dative τῇ μᾰσχᾰ́λῃ
tēî măskhắlēi 		τοῖν μᾰσχᾰ́λαιν
toîn măskhắlain 		ταῖς μᾰσχᾰ́λαις
taîs măskhắlais
Accusative τὴν μᾰσχᾰ́λην
tḕn măskhắlēn 		τὼ μᾰσχᾰ́λᾱ
tṑ măskhắlā 		τᾱ̀ς μᾰσχᾰ́λᾱς
tā̀s măskhắlās
Vocative μᾰσχᾰ́λη
măskhắlē 		μᾰσχᾰ́λᾱ
măskhắlā 		μᾰσχᾰ́λαι
măskhắlai
Notes:
  • This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

  • ἀμφιμάσχαλος (amphimáskhalos)
  • μασχαλιαία (maskhaliaía)
  • μασχαλίζω (maskhalízō)
  • μασχάλιον (maskhálion)
  • μασχαλίς (maskhalís)
  • μασχαλίσματα (maskhalísmata)
  • μασχαλισμός (maskhalismós)
  • μασχαλιστήρ (maskhalistḗr)
  • τρᾰγομᾰ́σχᾰλος (trăgomắskhălos)

Descendants

  • Greek: μασχάλη (mascháli)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “μασχάλη”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 912
  2. ^ Adams, Douglas Q (1984), “The Etymology of Greek μασχάλη ‘Armpit’ with Notes on μάλη”, in Glotta, volume 62, page 65 seqq.
  3. ^ Löw, Immanuel (1924), Die Flora der Juden‎[1] (in German), volume 2, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, page 334

Further reading

Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μασχάλη (maskhálē).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maˈsxali/
  • Hyphenation: μα‧σχά‧λη

Noun

μασχάλη • (mascháli) f (plural μασχάλες)

  1. armpit, axilla

Declension

Declension of μασχάλη
singular plural
nominative μασχάλη (mascháli) μασχάλες (mascháles)
genitive μασχάλης (maschális) μασχαλών (maschalón)
accusative μασχάλη (mascháli) μασχάλες (mascháles)
vocative μασχάλη (mascháli) μασχάλες (mascháles)

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.