σελήνη

See also: Σελήνη and σελίνι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σελᾱ́νᾱ (selā́nā) – Doric
• σελᾰ́ννᾱ (selánnā) – Aeolic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *selas-nā, whence also σέλας (sélas).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /se.lɛ̌ː.nɛː/ → /seˈli.ni/ → /seˈli.ni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /se.lɛ̌ː.nɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /sɛˈle.ne/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /seˈli.ni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /seˈli.ni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /seˈli.ni/

Noun

σελήνη • (selḗnē) f (genitive σελήνης); first declension

1. moon
   • 93/94, Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 1, 31, in Henry St. John Thackeray (tr. & ed.), Josephus with an English translation, vol. 4 (Jewish Antiquities, books I–IV), LCL, pages 14-17. Translation by Thackeray.

     τῇ τετάρτῃ δὲ διακοσμεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄστροις κινήσεις αὐτοῖς ἐπιστείλας καὶ δρόμους, οἷς ἂν αἱ τῶν ὡρῶν περιφοραὶ σημαίνοιντο.

     têi tetártēi dè diakosmeî tòn ouranòn hēlíōi kaì selḗnēi kaì toîs állois ástrois kinḗseis autoîs episteílas kaì drómous, hoîs àn hai tôn hōrôn periphoraì sēmaínointo.

     On the fourth he adorned the heaven with sun and moon and the other stars, prescribing their motions and courses to indicate the revolutions of the seasons.

2. month
3. a moon-shaped cake
4. type of plant

Inflection

First declension of ἡ σελήνη; τῆς σελήνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ σελήνη hē selḗnē	τὼ σελήνᾱ tṑ selḗnā	αἱ σελῆναι hai selênai
Genitive	τῆς σελήνης tês selḗnēs	τοῖν σελήναιν toîn selḗnain	τῶν σεληνῶν tôn selēnôn
Dative	τῇ σελήνῃ têi selḗnēi	σελήναιν selḗnain	ταῖς σελήναις taîs selḗnais
Accusative	τὴν σελήνην tḕn selḗnēn	σελήνᾱ selḗnā	τᾱ̀ς σελήνᾱς tā̀s selḗnās
Vocative	σελήνη selḗnē	σελήνᾱ selḗnā	σελῆναι selênai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• μήν (mḗn)

Derived terms

• σεληνῑ́της (selēnī́tēs)

See also

• ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”)

References

• σελήνη in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• σελήνη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• σελήνη in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• G4582 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • month idem, page 539.
  • moon idem, page 540.
  • selene idem, page 750.
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN