μαλακός

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Last modification

Sat, 08/15/2026 - 11:25

Word-form

βλάξ

Transliteration (Word)

blax

English translation (word)

stolid, stupid

Transliteration (Etymon)

malakos

English translation (etymon)

soft

Author

Aelius Dionysius

Century

2 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Ἀττικὰ ὀνόματα, beta 16

Ed.

H. Erbse, Untersuchungen zu den attizistischen Lexika [Abhandlungen der deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Philosoph.-hist. Kl.. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1950]

Quotation

βλάξ· μαλακός, χαῦνος, ἐκλελυμένος ἢ μωρός

Translation (En)

Blax "stupid": soft (malakos), lax, dissolved, or stupid 

Comment

Derivational etymology. It is implicit in the Ἀττικά ὀνόματα. However, the fact that μαλακός is provided as the first gloss and explicitly said to be the etymon in later sources makes it likely that μαλακός was indeed mentioned as the etymon. The lemma and the etymon are synonymous. The first explicit etymology is found in Orion. It implies a chain μαλακός → *μάλαξ → *μλάξ → βλάξ and explicitly says that /m/ cannot stand before /l/ and is turned to /b/, which is linguistically correct 

Parallels

Timaeus Soph., Lexicon Platonicum, beta 980b (idem); Suda, beta 314 (idem); Orion, Etymologicum, beta, p. 33 (Βλάξ, συγκοπὴ, καὶ μετάθεσις τοῦ μ εἰς β μαλακὸς καὶ παρώνυμον μάλαξ καὶ βλάξ. οὐ γὰρ ἐδύνατο τὸ μ προτάττεσθαι τοῦ λ); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), beta, p. 613 (Βλὰξ, ἐκ τοῦ μαλακός· μάλαξ· καὶ συγκοπῇ (cod. συγγοκῆ) μλάξ· καὶ τροπῆ τοῦ μ εἰς β, βλάξ); Olympiodorus, In Platonis Gorgiam commentaria 27.8 (Βλᾶκα εἶναι [488 a 8]: ἀντὶ τοῦ ‘χαῦνον τῇ προαιρέσει’. τὸ δὲ βλὰξ ὄνομα γέγονεν ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακοῦ, ἢ οὖν μάλαξ τις· εἶτα εἶχεν εἶναι μλάξ, ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ τὸ μ μετὰ τοῦ λ οὐ συμπλέκεται, ἐτράπη εἰς τὸ β καὶ γέγονε βλάξ); Etym. Genuinum, beta 129 («βλάξ τε καὶ ἠλίθιος γένωμαι». εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακός, καὶ τὸ ὑποκοριστικὸν μάλαξ, ὡς βωμολόχος βῶμαξ, πλούσιος πλούταξ· μάλαξ οὖν καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν καὶ τροπὴν βλάξ); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 271 (Βλάξ· παρὰ τὸ μαλακός μάλαξ καὶ βλάξ ὑποκοριστικῶς); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, beta, p. 271 (Βλάξ· συγκοπῇ καὶ με⟦ταθέσει τοῦ μ εἰς β· [μάλαξ καὶ] μαλακός καὶ παρώνυμον⟧ μάλαξ καὶ βλάξ· οὐ γὰρ ἐδύνατο τὸ ⟦μ⟧ προτά⟦ττεσθαι τοῦ λ, ὅτι ἀσύντακτον⟧); Eustathius, De emendenda vita monarchica 56 (μαλακός ἐστιν ὁ βλὰξ καὶ χαῦνος καὶ ὁπόσα ἐκεῖνοι τοιαῦτα ἐπιτιθέασι τῷ τοιούτῳ ἐπακολουθοῦντα τῇ κατ’ αὐτὸν μαλθακότητι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, pp. 198-199 (Εἴρηται ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακός· καὶ τὸ ὑποκοριστικὸν, μάλαξ, ὡς βωμολόχος, βῶμαξ· πλούσιος, πλοῦταξ· μάλαξ οὖν, καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν καὶ τροπὴν, βλάξ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, beta, p. 390 (εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακὸς, καὶ τὸ ὑποκοριστικὸν μάλαξ, ὡς βωμολόχος βώμαξ, πλούσιος πλούταξ· μάλαξ οὖν καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν καὶ τροπὴν βλάξ); Scholia in Platonem, Gorg. 272 (βλὰξ ὁ χαῦνος τῇ προαιρέσει. εἴρηται δὲ ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ βεβλάφθαι τὰς φρένας ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακοῦ, οἷον μάλαξ τις ὤν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ “μ” τῷ “λ” ἀσύμπλοκον, ἀντὶ τοῦ μλὰξ γέγονε βλάξ)

Modern etymology

Probably belongs with μαλακός, as *mlh2-k-. If so, it is not an Attic word. Cognate with Skt. mlātá- "soft", OIr. mlaith "soft" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has βλάκας "stolid"