ἀχάνη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Hemmerdinger compares Egyptian hnw (“jar, unit of measure”), while Furnée compares Hittite 𒀀𒂵𒀭𒉌 (a-ga-an-ni /⁠aganni⁠/, “bowl”), Hurrian 𒀀𒂵𒀭𒉌 (a-ga-an-ni /⁠aganni⁠/, “bowl”), which is connected to Akkadian 𒀀𒂵𒉡 (a-ga-nu /⁠agannu⁠/, “large bowl, cauldron”). He also compares ἀγάννα (agánna, “sacred chariot”) and λαχάννα (lakhánna). Perhaps it is from Persian, but according to Beekes no solution can be offered.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.kʰǎː.nɛː/ → /aˈxa.ni/ → /aˈxa.ni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.kʰǎː.nɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈkʰa.ne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈxa.ni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈxa.ni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈxa.ni/

Noun

ἀχᾱ́νη • (akhā́nē) f (genitive ἀχᾱ́νης); first declension

1. name of a Persian measure
2. chest, box

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ἀχᾱ́νη; τῆς ἀχᾱ́νης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἀχᾱ́νη hē akhā́nē	τὼ ἀχᾱ́νᾱ tṑ akhā́nā	αἱ ἀχᾶναι hai akhânai
Genitive	τῆς ἀχᾱ́νης tês akhā́nēs	τοῖν ἀχᾱ́ναιν toîn akhā́nain	τῶν ἀχᾱνῶν tôn akhānôn
Dative	τῇ ἀχᾱ́νῃ têi akhā́nēi	τοῖν ἀχᾱ́ναιν toîn akhā́nain	ταῖς ἀχᾱ́ναις taîs akhā́nais
Accusative	τὴν ἀχᾱ́νην tḕn akhā́nēn	τὼ ἀχᾱ́νᾱ tṑ akhā́nā	τᾱ̀ς ἀχᾱ́νᾱς tā̀s akhā́nās
Vocative	ἀχᾱ́νη akhā́nē	ἀχᾱ́νᾱ akhā́nā	ἀχᾶναι akhânai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “ἀχάνη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἀχάνη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀχάνη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• 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