𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *mēnô m, from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s. Cognate to Crimean Gothic mine, Old English mōna m and Old Norse máni m.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeː.na/

Proper noun

𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 • (mēna) ?

2. (hapax) the Moon (sole natural satellite of the Earth)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Mark (Codex Argenteus) 13.24:

     𐌰𐌺𐌴𐌹 𐌹𐌽 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌰𐍆𐌰𐍂 𐌸𐍉 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐍉𐌽 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌹𐌻 𐍂𐌹𐌵𐌹𐌶𐌴𐌹𐌸 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 𐌽𐌹 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌹𐌸 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌸 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽.

     akei in jainans dagans afar þō aglōn jaina sauil riqizeiþ jah mēna ni gibiþ liuhaþ sein.

     But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, (KJV).

Declension

Only attested in the nominative singular, which theoretically makes a masculine an-stem and feminine ō-stem equally likely possibilities. A masculine an-stem is nigh-universally assumed, based on the word's Germanic cognates.

Masculine an-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 mēna	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 mēnans
Vocative	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 mēna	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 mēnans
Accusative	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌽 mēnan	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 mēnans
Genitive	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌹𐌽𐍃 mēnins	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌴 mēnanē
Dative	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌹𐌽 mēnin	𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰𐌼 mēnam

Coordinate terms

• 𐌰𐌿𐌶𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌻 (auzandil, “the morning star”)
• 𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌹𐌻 (sauil, “the Sun”)
• 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌽𐍉 (sunnō, “the Sun”)
• 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐍉 (stairnō, “star”)

Related terms

• 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐍉𐌸𐍃 (mēnōþs, “month”)

See also

• 𐍄𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌻 (tuggl)

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 94