γαλαξίας

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /ɡa.lak.sí.aːs/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ɣa.lakˈsi.as/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ɣa.lakˈsi.as/^[1]

Forms

γᾰλᾰξῐ́ᾱς (galaxíās) m (genitive γᾰλᾰξῐ́ου); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from γάλα (gála, “milk”), stem ⟨γαλακτ-⟩, with the suffix -ίας (-íās); the τ became σ before ι, giving ξ.^[2][3][1] It was originally an adjective, “milky”, short for “the milky κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”)”.^[1][4][5] Ptolemy has the form γαλακτίας (galaktías), remade after the base word.^[3][2]

Γάλα is inherited; outside Greek it is found only in Latin lac and in Armenian.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Diodorus Siculus uses it for the Milky Way.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

Writers on astronomy and philosophy used it, alone or as γαλαξίας κύκλος, for the band of light across the sky: Lucian, Philo, Plutarch and the astrologer Manetho.^[6][4] With λίθος “stone” understood, Dioscorides used it for a chalky stone, tailor's chalk.^[4][6] Galen used it for a fish, perhaps the lamprey.^[4][6]

Late Latin borrowed it as galaxias, while Classical Latin translated it as via lactea, the source of English Milky Way.^[1][5] English galaxy came from French or Late Latin in the late 14th century; the sense of a separate star system dates from about 1848.^[5] Modern Greek γαλαξίας (galaxías) is a learned word, with the new sense modelled on Latin.^[7]

Timeline

• 1st century BC – Diodorus Siculus uses it for the Milky Way.^[4][6]
• 1st century BC – 1st century AD – Philo writes γαλαξίας κύκλος.^[6]
• 1st century AD – Dioscorides uses it for a chalky stone.^[4][6]
• 2nd century AD – Galen uses it for a fish.^[4][6]
• Late 14th century – English borrows galaxy.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. The Milky Way.^[4][6]
2. A chalky stone, tailor's chalk.^[4][6]
3. A fish, perhaps the lamprey or a kind of dogfish.^[6][4]

Related words

• γάλα (gála)
• Latin galaxias
• English galaxy

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki