ἄχος

Validation

Yes

Word-form

μάχη

Transliteration (Word)

makhē

English translation (word)

battle

Transliteration (Etymon)

akhos

English translation (etymon)

grief, sorrow

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, mu, p. 104

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Μάχη. παρὰ τὸ ἄχος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ μ, ὡς ἴα μία

Translation (En)

"Battle" (makhē) : from "grief" (akhos), through adjunction of the [m], as in ia / mia "one"

Comment

This is a nice instance of etymology taking as a starting point an inflected form: ἄχη is the Nom.Acc. plural of the neuter noun ἄχος, with contraction. Such forms are as a rule not contracted in Homer (ἄχεα), but that was not an obstacle for Greek scholars, even though μάχη has an [ē] which does not result from a contraction. The fact that a singular feminine (μάχη) is supposed to be derived from a neuter plural was not a problem either, that is, the morphological type was not a criterion. A variant of this etymology derives a feminine *ἄχη from ἄχομαι “to be grieved", and then μάχη. The etymology complies with the analogical principle of Alexandrian grammarians, and a parallel is adduced, that of ἴα / μία, feminine of "one", after which the adjunction of the initial [m] is justified. Semantically, "battle, fight" and "sorrow" can be associated as cause and consequence (which also justifies the plural ἄχη for a battle causes many sorrows). This explanation became standard and is repeated in Byzantine Etymologica, with different pairs exemplifying the adjunction of [m] (see Parallels)

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, mu 45 (μάχη: παρὰ τὸ ἄχος ἄχη καὶ μάχη πλεονασμῷ τοῦ μ⸥, ὡς ἄλευρον μάλευρον ⸤καὶ χείρ χειρός χειράδιον καὶ χερμ⸥άδιον); ibid. mu 73 (οἱ μὲν οὖν λέγουσι παρὰ τὸ ἄχομαι ἄχη καὶ μάχη, ἄλλοι παρὰ τὸ ἄχος); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 182 (Μάχη, παρὰ τὸ ἄχος ἄχη καὶ μάχη πλεονασμῷ τοῦ μ· ὡς ἄλευρον μάλευρον, καὶ χεὶρ χειρὸς χειράδιον καὶ χερμάδιον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 574

Modern etymology

Μάχη is derived from μάχομαι "to fight", which has no known etymology

Persistence in Modern Greek

Μάχη is used in Modern Greek to designate 1. the battle in war, 2. the struggle, 3. any intensive effort. It has given many derivatives (μαχητικός, μαχητικότητα) (Triandafyllidis, Dictionary of MG)

Entry By

Le Feuvre