ποίμνη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From the root of ποιμήν (poimḗn, “shepherd”) +‎ -η (-ē), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, shepherd”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /pǒi̯m.nɛː/ → /ˈpym.ni/ → /ˈpim.ni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pǒi̯m.nɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpym.ne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpym.ni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpym.ni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpim.ni/

Noun

ποίμνη • (poímnē) f (genitive ποίμνης); first declension

1. flock
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 9.122:

     οὔτ᾽ ἄρα ποίμνῃσιν καταΐσχεται οὔτ᾽ ἀρότοισιν

     • 1886 translation by W. Walter Merry, James Riddell and D. B. Monro

       Neither with flocks is it held, nor with ploughed lands

   • 750 BCE – 650 BCE, Hesiod, Theogony 9.122:

     βουκολίας ἀγέλας τε καὶ αἰπόλια πλατἔ αἰγῶν ποίμνας τ᾽ είροπόκων

     • 1914 translation

       The droves of kine and wide herds of goats and flocks of fleecy sheep

   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.126:

     ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τά τε αἰπόλια καὶ τὰς ποίμνας καὶ τὰ βουκόλια ὁ Κῦρος πάντα τοῦ πατρὸς συναλίσας

     en dè toútōi tá te aipólia kaì tàs poímnas kaì tà boukólia ho Kûros pánta toû patròs sunalísas

     • 1920 translation

       Meanwhile, collecting his father's goats and sheep and oxen

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ποίμνη; τῆς ποίμνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ποίμνη hē poímnē	τὼ ποίμνᾱ tṑ poímnā	αἱ ποῖμναι hai poîmnai
Genitive	τῆς ποίμνης tês poímnēs	τοῖν ποίμναιν toîn poímnain	τῶν ποιμνῶν tôn poimnôn
Dative	τῇ ποίμνῃ têi poímnēi	τοῖν ποίμναιν toîn poímnain	ταῖς ποίμναις taîs poímnais
Accusative	τὴν ποίμνην tḕn poímnēn	τὼ ποίμνᾱ tṑ poímnā	τᾱ̀ς ποίμνᾱς tā̀s poímnās
Vocative	ποίμνη poímnē	ποίμνᾱ poímnā	ποῖμναι poîmnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “ποίμνη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ποίμνη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ποίμνη”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers