μαλθακός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• μολθακός (molthakós) — Aeolic

Etymology

Formation like μαλακός (malakós, “soft, tender”); the two synonymous adjectives may have influenced each other. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“soft”), like Proto-Germanic *malskaz (“soft”) and Sanskrit मर्धति (mardhati, “to abandon, neglect”). However, Beekes considers the word Pre-Greek, because *ml̥dʰ- would yield *βλαθ- (*blath-). Moreover, this word cannot be cognate with μαλακός (malakós), as the latter must go back to *mlh₂-ek and there is no trace of the h₂- in the former.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mal.tʰa.kós/ → /mal.θaˈkos/ → /mal.θaˈkos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mal.tʰa.kós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /mal.tʰaˈkos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mal.θaˈkos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mal.θaˈkos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mal.θaˈkos/

Adjective

μᾰλθᾰκός • (malthakós) m (feminine μᾰλθᾰκή, neuter μᾰλθᾰκόν); first/second declension

1. soft, tender, mellow
2. (figuratively) weak, feeble
3. gentle, mild, mellow

Inflection

First and second declension of μᾰλθᾰκός; μᾰλθᾰκή; μᾰλθᾰκόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		μᾰλθᾰκός malthakós	μᾰλθᾰκή malthakḗ	μᾰλθᾰκόν malthakón		μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ	μᾰλθᾰκᾱ́ malthakā́	μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ		μᾰλθᾰκοί malthakoí	μᾰλθᾰκαί malthakaí	μᾰλθᾰκᾰ́ malthaká
Genitive		μᾰλθᾰκοῦ malthakoû	μᾰλθᾰκῆς malthakês	μᾰλθᾰκοῦ malthakoû		μᾰλθᾰκοῖν malthakoîn	μᾰλθᾰκαῖν malthakaîn	μᾰλθᾰκοῖν malthakoîn		μᾰλθᾰκῶν malthakôn	μᾰλθᾰκῶν malthakôn	μᾰλθᾰκῶν malthakôn
Dative		μᾰλθᾰκῷ malthakôi	μᾰλθᾰκῇ malthakêi	μᾰλθᾰκῷ malthakôi		μᾰλθᾰκοῖν malthakoîn	μᾰλθᾰκαῖν malthakaîn	μᾰλθᾰκοῖν malthakoîn		μᾰλθᾰκοῖς malthakoîs	μᾰλθᾰκαῖς malthakaîs	μᾰλθᾰκοῖς malthakoîs
Accusative		μᾰλθᾰκόν malthakón	μᾰλθᾰκήν malthakḗn	μᾰλθᾰκόν malthakón		μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ	μᾰλθᾰκᾱ́ malthakā́	μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ		μᾰλθᾰκούς malthakoús	μᾰλθᾰκᾱ́ς malthakā́s	μᾰλθᾰκᾰ́ malthaká
Vocative		μᾰλθᾰκέ malthaké	μᾰλθᾰκή malthakḗ	μᾰλθᾰκόν malthakón		μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ	μᾰλθᾰκᾱ́ malthakā́	μᾰλθᾰκώ malthakṓ		μᾰλθᾰκοί malthakoí	μᾰλθᾰκαί malthakaí	μᾰλθᾰκᾰ́ malthaká
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		μᾰλθᾰκῶς malthakôs				μᾰλθᾰκώτερος malthakṓteros				μᾰλθᾰκώτᾰτος malthakṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• μαλθακευνία (malthakeunía)
• μαλθακία (malthakía)
• μαλθακίζομαι (malthakízomai)
• μαλθακιστέον (malthakistéon)
• μαλθακότης (malthakótēs)
• μαλθακόφωνος (malthakóphōnos)
• μαλθακτήριον (malthaktḗrion)
• μαλθακτικός (malthaktikós)
• μαλθακώδης (malthakṓdēs)

 

Further reading

• “μαλθακός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μαλθακός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μαλθακός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μαλθακός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• μαλθακός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• 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