μάχαιρα

See also: μαχαίρα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Controversial:

• Traditionally linked to μάχομαι (mákhomai, “to fight”); compare μάχη (mákhē, “a battle, a strife”). Though formally without issues, Chantraine finds this implausible.
• Others consider the word to be from a foreign or substrate source, though exact comparanda are disputed. Lewy considers the word as a Semitic borrowing; compare Hebrew מכרה (mᵉkērā, “sword”). However, Gordon considers the Hebrew to be borrowed from Greek, rather than the other way around.
• Beekes prefers to link the word to μάγειρος (mágeiros, “cook”), taking the γ/χ interchange as evidence of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /má.kʰai̯.ra/ → /ˈma.çɛ.ra/ → /ˈma.çe.ra/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /má.kʰai̯.ra/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈma.kʰɛ.ra/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.çɛ.ra/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.çe.ra/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈma.çe.ra/

Noun

μάχαιρα • (mákhaira) f (genitive μᾰχαίρας); first declension

1. large knife, short sword, dirk, dagger

Usage notes

Later Greek used μαχαίρης (makhaírēs) and μαχαίρῃ (makhaírēi) for the singular genitive and dative respectively.

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μάχαιρᾰ; τῆς μαχαίρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μάχαιρᾰ hē mákhaira	τὼ μαχαίρᾱ tṑ makhaírā	αἱ μάχαιραι hai mákhairai
Genitive	τῆς μαχαίρᾱς tês makhaírās	τοῖν μαχαίραιν toîn makhaírain	τῶν μαχαιρῶν tôn makhairôn
Dative	τῇ μαχαίρᾳ têi makhaírāi	τοῖν μαχαίραιν toîn makhaírain	ταῖς μαχαίραις taîs makhaírais
Accusative	τὴν μάχαιρᾰν tḕn mákhairan	τὼ μαχαίρᾱ tṑ makhaírā	τᾱ̀ς μαχαίρᾱς tā̀s makhaírās
Vocative	μάχαιρᾰ mákhaira	μαχαίρᾱ makhaírā	μάχαιραι mákhairai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• δρεπανομάχαιρα (drepanomákhaira)
• ἐγγαστριμάχαιρα (engastrimákhaira)
• μαχαιρᾶς (makhairâs)
• μαχαιροδέτης (makhairodétēs)
• μαχαιροθήκη (makhairothḗkē)
• μαχαιροποιός (makhairopoiós)
• μαχαιροπώλιον (makhairopṓlion)
• μαχαιρουργός (makhairourgós)
• μαχαιροφόρος (makhairophóros)
• μαχαιρόφυλλον (makhairóphullon)
• ξιφομάχαιρα (xiphomákhaira)

 

Descendants

• ⇒ Koine Greek: μαχαίριον (makhaírion) (diminutive)
  • Greek: μαχαίρι (machaíri), μαχαίρα (machaíra, “large knife”)
• → Greek: μάχαιρα (máchaira) (learned)
• → Latin: machaera
• Translingual: †Machairodus

Further reading

• “μάχαιρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μάχαιρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μάχαιρα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μάχαιρα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• μάχαιρα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μάχαιρα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3162 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• μάχαιρα in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • brand idem, page 93.
  • cleaver idem, page 137.
  • dagger idem, page 193.
  • dirk idem, page 226.
  • knife idem, page 470.
  • poniard idem, page 626.
  • rapier idem, page 672.
  • razor idem, page 674.
  • sword idem, page 849.

Greek

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek μάχαιρα (mákhaira). Doublet of μαχαίρι (machaíri).

Noun

μάχαιρα • (máchaira) f (uncountable)

1. sword used by the ancient Greeks
2. large knife

Declension

  μάχαιρα

case     \     number	singular
nominative	μάχαιρα •
genitive	μάχαιρας •
accusative	μάχαιρα •
vocative	μάχαιρα •

Further reading

• μάχαιρα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el