σμινύη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

σμῐνύας (smĭnúas)

Etymology

The word is generally considered to derive from Proto-Indo-European *smei- (“to carve, cut”), as could be σμίλη (smílē, “knife, wood-carving knife, scalpel, chisel”). Compare Lithuanian smailus (“sharp, acute”) and Proto-Germanic *smiþaz (“carpenter, craftsman, smith”).^[1] According to others, both words are of obscure etymology and thus could be Pre-Greek.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /zmi.ný.ɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /zmiˈny.e̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /zmiˈny.i/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /zmiˈny.i/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /zmiˈni.i/

Noun

σμῐνύη • (smĭnúē) f (genitive σμῐνύης); first declension

two-pronged mattock

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σμῐνύη; τῆς σμῐνύης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σμῐνύη hē smĭnúē	τὼ σμῐνύᾱ tṑ smĭnúā	αἱ σμῐνύαι hai smĭnúai
Genitive	τῆς σμῐνύης tês smĭnúēs	τοῖν σμῐνύαιν toîn smĭnúain	τῶν σμῐνυῶν tôn smĭnuôn
Dative	τῇ σμῐνύῃ têi smĭnúēi	τοῖν σμῐνύαιν toîn smĭnúain	ταῖς σμῐνύαις taîs smĭnúais
Accusative	τὴν σμῐνύην tḕn smĭnúēn	τὼ σμῐνύᾱ tṑ smĭnúā	τᾱ̀ς σμῐνύᾱς tā̀s smĭnúās
Vocative	σμῐνύη smĭnúē	σμῐνύᾱ smĭnúā	σμῐνύαι smĭnúai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

σμινύδιον (sminúdion)

References

^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “smēi- : smɘi- : smi-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 968
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “σμῑ́λη, σμινύη”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN