μήνη
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
μήν (Β 292): γίνεται παρὰ τὸ μήνη, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν σελήνην· δι’ αὐτῆς γὰρ τελειοῦται ὁ μήν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ μεῖον, τὸ μικρόν, γίνεται μείην καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν μήν, ἡ εἰς ἄκρον ἐλάττωσις καὶ ἀποτερμάτωσις τῆς σελήνης
Translation (En)
Mēn "month" (Il. 2.292) comes from mēnē, which means "moon", because the month is accomplished through the moon. Or from meion "lesser", that which is small, one obtains meiēn and through syncope mēn, the lessening and ending of the moon
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum, mu, p. 103 (μήν· παρὰ τὸ μεῖος. ὁ αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ οὕτω φησί. μεῖος μειήν· καὶ συγκοπῇ μήν· ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ ἡ μήνη); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 120 (τὸ δὲ μήνη παρὰ τὸ μειοῦσθαι καὶ ἐκλείπειν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ μὴν μηνός); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 391 (same explanation as the Epimerismi homerici); Etym. Gudianum, sigma, p. 504 (same explanation as Choeroboscus); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 583, s.v. μείς (same definition as the Epimerismi homerici)
Comment
This etymology is right in relating "month" to "moon" (the calendar was based on lunar months), but the correct relationship between the two Greek words is the opposite, as μήνη "moon" is derived from μήν / μείς "month". Other sources give the correct derivation μήν → μήνη, for instance Orion and Choeroboscus (see Parallels)