μάχομαι + ῥᾴδιος
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
μάχαιρα
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
makhaira
English translation (word)
dagger, knife
Transliteration (Etymon)
makhomai + rhaidios
English translation (etymon)
to fight + easy
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, mu, p. 180
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
Μάχαιρα· διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι ῥᾶον
Translation (En)
Makhaira "knife": because of the fact it fights (makhesthai) easily (rhaon) enough
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 382-382 (Μάχαιρα, διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι ῥᾷον· ἢ διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι πᾶσι φύσεσι, καὶ τόνον ἐμποιεῖν βίᾳ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ μάχῃ χαίρειν· ἢ ὅτι αἷμα χέει· ἢ παρὰ τὸ τοῖς αἵμασι χαίρειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς μάχην αἴρεσθαι καὶ λαμβάνεσθαι· ἢ διὰ τὸ χέειν αὖθις τὸ αἷμα)
Modern etymology
Unclear
Persistence in Modern Greek
Μάχαιρα is sometimes used in Modern Greek as an erudite form of μαχαίρι "knife" (neuter), from the old diminutive μαχαίριον (Triandafyllidis, Dictionary of Modern Greek)
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound transposing a syntagm verb + adverb. The adverb provides only one phoneme of the lemma, the [r]. This etymology relies on the military use of μάχαιρα referring to the short sword which Homeric warriors have next to the ξίφος, the long sword. The internal [ai] is not accounted for