φοῖνιξ

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See also: Φοῖνιξ

Ancient Greek

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Etymology

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The etymology surrounding all senses remains somewhat unclear. The fact that the dye came exclusively from Phoenicia assures some connection. However, it is unclear if it comes from native Greek or is a Phoenician loanword. The relationship in the sense of "mythical bird" and Egyptian bnw (phoenix, Bennu bird) is clear, but some have argued for a Semitic source (possibly Phoenician), perhaps related to the "dye" sense and the bird's red plumage. It has been argued both that the name of the tree derives from the bird and vice versa; it may be significant that Egyptian bnw can also mean both a mythical bird and the fruit of the date tree. Regardless of the etymology, the word traces back to the Mycenaean era, as evidenced by 𐀡𐀛𐀐 (po-ni-ke) and 𐀡𐀛𐀑𐀠 (po-ni-ki-pi) (most likely date palm). Compare Hebrew פֻּוָּ֕ה (puw·wā, a clan's name) and Arabic فُوَّه (fuwwah, madder), a plant whose root yields purple-red dye.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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φοῖνῐξ (phoînixm (genitive φοίνῑκος); third declension

  1. purple or crimson
  2. palm tree
  3. date (the fruit of the date palm)
  4. (mythology) phoenix, the mythical bird derived from Egyptian mythology
  5. (music) A guitar-like instrument invented by the Phoenicians

Declension

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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Further reading

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