μῆνις
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
μήνη
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
mēnē
English translation (word)
moon
Transliteration (Etymon)
mēnis
English translation (etymon)
wrath
Century
9 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etym. Parvum, mu 53
Ed.
R. Pintaudi, Etymologicum parvum quod vocatur, Milan: Istituto Editoriale Cisalpino, 1973
Quotation
Μήνη· ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴν μηνός, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μήνις· αὕτη γὰρ τὸ πάθος αὐξάνουσα διὰ τῆς ὑποστακτικῆς ὑπάρξεως
Translation (En)
Mēnē "moon" comes from mēn, mēnos "month", or from mēnis "wrath", because it is the moon which makes this passion grows because of its dripping substance
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 583 (Τὸ δὲ μήνη, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μῆνις, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν ὀργήν· αὐτῇ γὰρ τὸ πάθος ἀνάπτουσιν· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ μένειν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ποτὲ μὲν μειοῦσθαι, ποτὲ δὲ αὔξεσθαι "And mēnē "moon" comes either from mēnis "wrath", which means "anger", because this affection is referred to the moon, or from the fact that it does not remain in the same condition, but now diminishes, now grows")
Modern etymology
Μήνη "moon" is a derivative of μήν "moon", then "month" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
This etymology is purely paronymic: in Byzantine Greek the two words were pronounced [mini] and [minis]. It is interesting because it implies that the cause (the moon) is named after the consequence (the wrath, supposedly caused by the moon), and not the other way round. Notice that μῆνις is never etymologized through μήνη in our sources