μάλθα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

μάλθη (málthē)

Etymology

Traditionally connected with μαλθακός (malthakós, “soft”) and derived from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dʰ- (“soft”).^[1]^[2]^[3] Beekes separates from μαλθακός (malthakós) and argues for a Pre-Greek technical loanword; note that *ml̥dʰ- would yield *βλαθ- (*blath-).^[4] Compare Arabic مِلَاط (milāṭ) and the other Semitic words mentioned there, as well as Middle Armenian մաղթ (maġtʻ).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mál.tʰa/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmal.tʰa/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmal.θa/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmal.θa/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmal.θa/

Noun

μάλθᾰ • (máltha) f (genitive μάλθης); first declension

a mixture of wax and pitch used for caulking ships and on writing tablets
a large aquatic animal (perhaps after its tender or wax-like meat)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μᾰ́λθᾰ; τῆς μᾰ́λθης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μᾰ́λθᾰ hē máltha	τὼ μᾰ́λθᾱ tṑ málthā	αἱ μᾰ́λθαι hai málthai
Genitive	τῆς μᾰ́λθης tês málthēs	τοῖν μᾰ́λθαιν toîn málthain	τῶν μᾰλθῶν tôn malthôn
Dative	τῇ μᾰ́λθῃ têi málthēi	τοῖν μᾰ́λθαιν toîn málthain	ταῖς μᾰ́λθαις taîs málthais
Accusative	τὴν μᾰ́λθᾰν tḕn málthan	τὼ μᾰ́λθᾱ tṑ málthā	τᾱ̀ς μᾰ́λθᾱς tā̀s málthās
Vocative	μᾰ́λθᾰ máltha	μᾰ́λθᾱ málthā	μᾰ́λθαι málthai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: maltha
- Italian: malta, mota
  - → Czech: malta
  - → Slovak: malta
- → English: maltha
- → French: malthe

References

^ Boisacq, Émile (1916) “μάλθα”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (in French), Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 605
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 719
^ Chantraine, Pierre (1968–1980) “μαλθακός”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (in French), Paris: Klincksieck, page 662
^ 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, page 898