ῥήν

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ϝρήν (wrḗn), the old nominative of ϝάρνα (wárna), ϝαρνός (warnós), etc., for which see ἀρήν (arḗn); compare πολύρρην (polúrrhēn), ῥᾶνα (rhâna), and τρανόν (tranón), the last perhaps from ϝρᾶνον (wrânon).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /r̥ɛ̌ːn/ → /rin/ → /rin/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /r̥ɛ̌ːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /re̝n/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /rin/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /rin/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /rin/

Noun

*ῥήν • (*rhḗn) m or f (genitive ῥηνός); third declension

1. sheep, lamb
   • 300 BCE – 250 BCE, Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.1495–1497:

     Ἀμφίθεμις δ’ ἄρ’ ἔπειτα μίγη Τριτωνίδι νύμφῃ· / ἡ δ’ ἄρα οἱ Νασάμωνα τέκεν κρατερόν τε Κάφαυρον, / ὃς τότε Κάνθον ἔπεφνεν ἐπὶ ῥήνεσσιν ἑοῖσιν.

     Amphíthemis d’ ár’ épeita mígē Tritōnídi númphēi; / hē d’ ára hoi Nasámōna téken kraterón te Káphauron, / hòs tóte Kánthon épephnen epì rhḗnessin heoîsin.

   • 200 BCE – 100 BCE, Nicander, Theriaca 453
   • 5th century CE, Hesychius Alexandreus, Συναγωγὴ Πασῶν Λέξεων κατὰ Στοιχεῖον
   • Suid., Suda rho.135^[1]

Declension

Declension of ὁ/ἡ *ῥήν, τοῦ/τῆς ῥηνός

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ/ἡ *ῥήν	—	—
Genitive	τοῦ/τῆς ῥηνός	—	—
Dative	—	—	τοῖς/ταῖς ῥήνεσσῐν
Accusative	τὸν/τὴν ῥῆνᾰ	—	—
Vocative	—	—	—
Dialectal forms:
Notes:	{{{notes}}}

Derived terms

• ῥηνοφορεύς (rhēnophoreús, masculine adjective)
• ῥηνῐκός (rhēnikós, adjective)
• ῥῆνῐξ f (rhênix, noun)

 

Further reading

• “ῥήν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ῥήν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette