μηχανή

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhanā́) — Doric

Etymology

Unknown. Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“to be able”), with cognates including Old Church Slavonic могѫ (mogǫ) and Old English magan, miht, mæġen (English may, might, main). See also Μάγος (Mágos).

Beekes argues for a Pre-Greek origin, based on the infix -αν- (-an-), as well as formal difficulties in deriving the word's ablauting paradigm from *megʰ-, and considers it a doublet of Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon, “charm, block (wheelbox)”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛː.kʰa.nɛ̌ː/ → /mi.xaˈni/ → /mi.xaˈni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛː.kʰa.nɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /me̝.kʰaˈne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /mi.xaˈni/

Noun

μηχᾰνή • (mēkhanḗ) f (genitive μηχᾰνῆς); first declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)

1. contrivance, machine, device, gear
2. way, means

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μηχᾰνή; τῆς μηχᾰνῆς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μηχᾰνή hē mēkhanḗ	τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhanā́	αἱ μηχᾰναί hai mēkhanaí
Genitive	τῆς μηχᾰνῆς tês mēkhanês	τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhanaîn	τῶν μηχᾰνῶν tôn mēkhanôn
Dative	τῇ μηχᾰνῇ têi mēkhanêi	τοῖν μηχᾰναῖν toîn mēkhanaîn	ταῖς μηχᾰναῖς taîs mēkhanaîs
Accusative	τὴν μηχᾰνήν tḕn mēkhanḗn	τὼ μηχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mēkhanā́	τᾱ̀ς μηχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mēkhanā́s
Vocative	μηχᾰνή mēkhanḗ	μηχᾰνᾱ́ mēkhanā́	μηχᾰναί mēkhanaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ᾱ̔ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́; τᾶς μᾱχᾰνᾶς (Laconian)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾱ̔ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ hā mākhanā́	τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhanā́	ταὶ μᾱχᾰναί taì mākhanaí
Genitive	τᾶς μᾱχᾰνᾶς tâs mākhanâs	τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhanaîn	τᾶν μᾱχᾰνᾶν tân mākhanân
Dative	τᾷ μᾱχᾰνᾷ tâi mākhanâi	τοῖν μᾱχᾰναῖν toîn mākhanaîn	ταῖς μᾱχᾰναῖς taîs mākhanaîs
Accusative	τᾱ̀ν μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ν tā̀n mākhanā́n	τὼ μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ tṑ mākhanā́	τᾱ̀ς μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ς tā̀s mākhanā́s
Vocative	μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhanā́	μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ mākhanā́	μᾱχᾰναί mākhanaí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• κᾰκομήχᾰνος (kakomḗkhanos)
• μηχᾰνάομαι (mēkhanáomai)
• μηχᾰνεύς (mēkhaneús)
• μηχᾰ́νημᾰ (mēkhánēma)
• μηχᾰ́νησῐς (mēkhánēsis)
• μηχᾰνῐκός (mēkhanikós)
• μηχᾰ́νωμᾰ (mēkhánōma)
• ποικῐλομήχᾰνος (poikilomḗkhanos)

 

Related terms

• μῆχος (mêkhos)

Descendants

See also descendants from Doric μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhanā́).

• Greek: μηχανή (michaní)
• → Classical Syriac: ܡܐܟܢܐ
• → Coptic: ⲙⲏⲭⲁⲛⲏ (mēkhanē)
• → Old Armenian: մեքենայ (mekʻenay)
  • Armenian: մեքենա (mekʻena)
• → Pashto: مېچن (mēčə́n)

Further reading

• “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μηχανή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μηχανή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • apparatus idem, page 34.
  • appliance idem, page 35.
  • artifice idem, page 42.
  • artillery idem, page 42.
  • battering-ram idem, page 65.
  • contrivance idem, page 170.
  • device idem, page 220.
  • engine idem, page 274.
  • expedient idem, page 293.
  • invention idem, page 456.
  • machine idem, page 506.
  • ram idem, page 670.
  • resource idem, page 703.
  • scheme idem, page 739.
  • weapon idem, page 970.
• “μηχανή”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhanḗ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mixɐˈni]
• Hyphenation: μη‧χα‧νή

Noun

μηχανή • (michaní) f (plural μηχανές)

1. machine, engine

   Synonym: μηχάνημα (michánima)

2. locomotive, the power unit of a train which does not carry passengers or freight itself
3. (colloquial) motorcycle, motorbike

   Synonym: μοτοσυκλέτα (motosykléta)

4. (figuratively) a way to deceive people

Declension

Declension of μηχανή

	singular	plural
nominative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)
genitive	μηχανής (michanís)	μηχανών (michanón)
accusative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)
vocative	μηχανή (michaní)	μηχανές (michanés)

Derived terms

• αερομηχανικός m or f (aeromichanikós, “aircraft mechanic, aero engineer”)
• αμηχανία f (amichanía, “perplexity, discomfiture”)
• αμήχανος (amíchanos, “perplexed, discomfited”, adjective)
• αρχιμηχανικός m or f (archimichanikós, “chief engineer”)
• ΑΤΜ f (ATM, “ATM”)
• αυτόματη ταμειακή μηχανή f (aftómati tameiakí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
• αυτόματη ταμειολογιστική μηχανή f (aftómati tameiologistikí michaní, “automatic cash machine”)
• βιομηχανία f (viomichanía, “industry”)
• βιομήχανος m or f (viomíchanos, “industrialist”)
• μηχανάκι (michanáki, “diminutive form”)
• μηχανέλαιο (michanélaio)
• μηχανεύομαι (michanévomai)
• μηχανή αναζήτησης f (michaní anazítisis, “search engine”)
• μηχανή εσωτερικής καύσης f (michaní esoterikís káfsis, “internal combustion engine”)
• Μηχανικό (Michanikó)
• μηχανικός m or f (michanikós, “engineer”)
• μηχανισμός m (michanismós, “mechanism”)
• μηχανόβιος (michanóvios)
• μηχανογράφηση (michanográfisi)
• μηχανογραφώ (michanografó)
• μηχανοδηγός (michanodigós)
• μηχανοδηγός (michanodigós)
• μηχανοκατασκευή (michanokataskeví)
• μηχανοκίνητος (michanokínitos)
• μηχανοκρατία (michanokratía)
• μηχανοκρατούμαι (michanokratoúmai)
• μηχανόλαδο (michanólado)
• μηχανολογία (michanología)
• μηχανολόγος m or f (michanológos, “engineer”)
• μηχανοποίητος (michanopoíitos)
• μηχανορραφία (michanorrafía)
• μηχανορραφία (michanorrafía)
• μηχανορράφος (michanorráfos)
• μηχανορραφώ (michanorrafó)
• μηχανοστάσιο (michanostásio)
• μηχανότρατα (michanótrata)
• μηχανουργείο (michanourgeío)
• μηχανουργικός (michanourgikós)
• μηχανουργός (michanourgós)
• παιχνιδομηχανή f (paichnidomichaní, “video game console”)
• πολιτικός μηχανικός m (politikós michanikós, “civil engineer”)

 

Further reading

• μηχανή on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el
• μηχανή, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language