βίρρη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Furnée suggests a derivation from Asia Minor and compares Svan ბერეჟ (berež, “iron”), Akkadian 𒀭𒁇 (parzillum), Hebrew בַּרְזֶל (barzel, “iron”), Ugaritic 𐎁𐎗𐎏𐎍 (brḏl) and Phoenician 𐤁𐤓𐤆𐤋 (brzl); furthermore Old English bræs (“brass”) and Basque burdin (“iron”). Or, according to Beekes, from Pre-Greek, in view of the geminate consonants.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bír̥.r̥ɛː/ → /ˈβir.ri/ → /ˈvi.ri/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bír̥.r̥ɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbir.re̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβir.ri/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈvir.ri/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.ri/

Noun

βίρρη • (bírrhē)

1. Hesychius' gives the definition as: πυράγρα (purágra, “pair of fire tongs”), δρέπανον (drépanon, “pruning-knife”).

Further reading

• “βίρρη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• βίρρη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• Hesychius' Lexicon: β