ῥαχία

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ῥηχίη (rhēkhíē) — Ionic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *wrā́kʰiā, either a deverbal formation from ῥᾱ́σσω (rhā́ssō, “strike, dash”) or an abstract or collective formation from the unattested *ῥᾱχος (*rhākhos, “stroke, bump”) (which is from the same root as the former).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /r̥aː.kʰí.aː/ → /raˈçi.a/ → /raˈçi.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /r̥aː.kʰí.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /raˈkʰi.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /raˈçi.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /raˈçi.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /raˈçi.a/

Noun

ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ • (rhākhíā) f (genitive ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱς); first declension

1. flood tide
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 2.11
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.198
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.129
   • 129 CE – 216 CE, Galen, Collected Works 19.135
2. the roar of the breakers
3. (figurative) the roar of a crowd
   • Posidipp. 27.11
   • 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Moralia 2.789d
   • Diogenian. 7.99
4. rocky shore or beach
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 713
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 4.10
   • 200 BCE – 118 BCE, Polybius, The Histories 3.39.4
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 16.4.23
5. Alternative form of ῥᾰ́χῐς (rhákhis, “backbone”)
   • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Fragments 1088
   • 350 CE – 450 CE, Nonnus, Dionysiaca 11.182
   • 350 CE – 450 CE, Nonnus, Dionysiaca 39.334

Declension

First declension of ἡ ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ; τῆς ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ hē rhākhíā	τὼ ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ tṑ rhākhíā	αἱ ῥᾱχῐ́αι hai rhākhíai
Genitive	τῆς ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱς tês rhākhíās	τοῖν ῥᾱχῐ́αιν toîn rhākhíain	τῶν ῥᾱχῐῶν tôn rhākhiôn
Dative	τῇ ῥᾱχῐ́ᾳ têi rhākhíāi	τοῖν ῥᾱχῐ́αιν toîn rhākhíain	ταῖς ῥᾱχῐ́αις taîs rhākhíais
Accusative	τὴν ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱν tḕn rhākhíān	τὼ ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ tṑ rhākhíā	τᾱ̀ς ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱς tā̀s rhākhíās
Vocative	ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ rhākhíā	ῥᾱχῐ́ᾱ rhākhíā	ῥᾱχῐ́αι rhākhíai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ ῥηχίη; τῆς ῥηχίης (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ῥηχίη hē rhēkhíē	τὼ ῥηχίᾱ tṑ rhēkhíā	αἱ ῥηχίαι hai rhēkhíai
Genitive	τῆς ῥηχίης tês rhēkhíēs	τοῖν ῥηχίαιν toîn rhēkhíain	τῶν ῥηχιέων / ῥηχιῶν tôn rhēkhiéōn / rhēkhiôn
Dative	τῇ ῥηχίῃ têi rhēkhíēi	τοῖν ῥηχίαιν toîn rhēkhíain	τῇσῐ / τῇσῐν ῥηχίῃσῐ / ῥηχίῃσῐν têisi(n) rhēkhíēisi(n)
Accusative	τὴν ῥηχίην tḕn rhēkhíēn	τὼ ῥηχίᾱ tṑ rhēkhíā	τᾱ̀ς ῥηχίᾱς tā̀s rhēkhíās
Vocative	ῥηχίη rhēkhíē	ῥηχίᾱ rhēkhíā	ῥηχίαι rhēkhíai
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “flood tide”): ἄμπωτις (ámpōtis)

Further reading

• “ῥαχία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press