ὀρείχαλκος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Looks like the dative singular of ὄρος (óros, “mountain”) + χαλκός (khalkós, “copper”), however the same way Latin has connected the first part as aurīchalcum to aurum (“gold”) this is also a folk-etymology and the first part is rather Akkadian 𒍏 (URUD /⁠ēru, wēru⁠/, “copper”), making a tautological compound.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /o.rěː.kʰal.kos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /oˈri.kʰal.kos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /oˈri.xal.kos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /oˈri.xal.kos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /oˈri.xal.kos/

Noun

ὀρείχᾰλκος • (oreíkhălkos) m (genitive ὀρειχᾰ́λκου); second declension

brass made from yellow copper ore; an alloy of copper and "mock silver" (presumably zinc)
- c. 23 CE, Strabo, chapter 1.56, in Γεωγραφικά, volume XIII:
  λίθος [...] μετὰ γῆς τινος καμινευθεὶς ἀποστάζει ψευδάργυρον͵ ἣ προσλαβοῦσα χαλκὸν τὸ καλούμενον γίνεται κρᾶμα͵ ὅ τινες ὀρείχαλκον καλοῦσι
  a stone [...] which heated in a furnace with a certain earth distils mock silver (zinc); and this, with the addition of copper, makes the so-called "mixture" (alloy), which by some is called "orichalcum"
orichalcum, a natural or mythical valuable alloy of copper and perhaps gold
- c. 7th century BCE, Homer (attributed, unlikely), Ὁμηρικὸς ὕμνος ε' "Εἰς Ἀφροδίτην":
  [...] ἐν δὲ τρητοῖσι λοβοῖσιν ἄνθεμ’ ὀρειχάλκου χρυσοῖό τε τιμήεντος
  [...] en dè trētoîsi loboîsin ánthem’ oreikhálkou khrusoîó te timḗentos
  [...] and in her perforated ears earrings of orichalcum and of precious gold

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ ὀρείχᾰλκος; τοῦ ὀρειχᾰ́λκου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ὀρείχᾰλκος ho oreíkhălkos	τὼ ὀρειχᾰ́λκω tṑ oreikhắlkō	οἱ ὀρείχᾰλκοι hoi oreíkhălkoi
Genitive	τοῦ ὀρειχᾰ́λκου toû oreikhắlkou	τοῖν ὀρειχᾰ́λκοιν toîn oreikhắlkoin	τῶν ὀρειχᾰ́λκων tôn oreikhắlkōn
Dative	τῷ ὀρειχᾰ́λκῳ tôi oreikhắlkōi	τοῖν ὀρειχᾰ́λκοιν toîn oreikhắlkoin	τοῖς ὀρειχᾰ́λκοις toîs oreikhắlkois
Accusative	τὸν ὀρείχᾰλκον tòn oreíkhălkon	τὼ ὀρειχᾰ́λκω tṑ oreikhắlkō	τοὺς ὀρειχᾰ́λκους toùs oreikhắlkous
Vocative	ὀρείχᾰλκε oreíkhălke	ὀρειχᾰ́λκω oreikhắlkō	ὀρείχᾰλκοι oreíkhălkoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ὀρειχᾰ́λκῐνος (oreikhắlkĭnos)

Descendants

→ Greek: ορείχαλκος (oreíchalkos) (learned)
→ Latin: orīchalcum
- → English: orichalcum (learned)
- → Spanish: oricalco (learned)
- → French: orichalque (learned)
- → Italian: oricalco (learned)
→ Latin: aurīchalcum
- → Spanish: auricalco (learned)
- → Russian: аврихальк (avrixalʹk) (learned)
→ German: Oreichalk (learned)
→ Russian: орихалк (orixalk) (learned)