Μελίτη
Ancient Greek edit
Etymology edit
Apparently from μέλι (méli, “honey”) + -η (-ē, “-a: forming feminine place names”), although its use for the island of Malta is considered uncertain. Some scholars consider it to represent the importance of the islands' indigenous bees and their output. Others consider it a transcription of Phoenician 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “Grand Harbor, Cospicua”), from 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “refuge, port”), reapplied first to the island and then, after its Roman conquest, to its capital via Latin Melita. See Wikipedia's articles on Melite and Malta.
Pronunciation edit
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /me.lí.tɛː/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /meˈli.te̝/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /meˈli.ti/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /meˈli.ti/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /meˈli.ti/
Proper noun edit
Μελῐ́τη • (Melítē) f (genitive Μελῐ́της); first declension
- Malta (an island in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta)
- Mdina (a city on the island of Malta, Malta)
- Mljet (an island in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia)
Declension edit
Case / # | Singular | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ἡ Μελῐ́τη hē Melítē | ||||||||||||
Genitive | τῆς Μελῐ́της tês Melítēs | ||||||||||||
Dative | τῇ Μελῐ́τῃ têi Melítēi | ||||||||||||
Accusative | τὴν Μελῐ́την tḕn Melítēn | ||||||||||||
Vocative | Μελῐ́τη Melítē | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
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Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- → Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܝܼܠܹܛܵܐ (mīleṭa)
- → French: Mélitè
- → Latin: Melite
- English: Melite
- Latin: Melita, Melitē, Malta
Further reading edit
- Μελίτη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette