μένος

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /mé.nos/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈme.nos/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈme.nos/^[1]

Forms

μένος (ménos) n (genitive μένεος or μένους); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ménos, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ménos (“mind”), from *men- (“to think”).^[1] It is an old verbal noun identical with Sanskrit मनस् (mánas, “mind, thought, will”) and Avestan manah- (manah-, “mind”).^[2][1] The compounds match too: δυσμενής (dusmenḗs, “hostile”) = duš-manah- (duš-manah-) and Sanskrit दुर्मनस् (durmanas), εὐμενής (eumenḗs, “kindly”) = Sanskrit सुमनस् (sumánas).^[2] The Persian royal name Ἀχαιμένης (Akhaiménēs) renders Old Persian Haxāmaniš, “having a friend's mind”.^[2]

The stative perfect μέμονα (mémona, “I am eager”) and, with a different sense, the present μαίνομαι (maínomai, “to rage”) belong to the same root.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it for might and fighting spirit: “do not unnerve me and rob me of my might” (Iliad 6.265).^[4] It is also the spirit of horses and the fierceness of lions and leopards, and the force of things such as a spear, the sun, fire and rivers.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It remained mainly a poetic word; most of its uses are epic.^[2][6] Homer, Hesiod and the tragedians use it for passion and fury, for courage and resolve, and for the life force that leaves the body.^[5] Archilochus uses it for semen and Sophocles for blood, and Empedocles speaks of the force of the earth and of the winds.^[5][4] Xenophon uses it of the eagerness of hunting dogs.^[4]

It is the first or second part of many personal names, such as Μενέλαος (Menélāos) and Κλεομένης (Kleoménēs).^[7][1] Modern Greek μένος is a learned word for a strong, often violent, urge to act.^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it for might, spirit and the force of things.^[4][5]
• 7th century BC – Archilochus uses it for semen.^[5][9]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses it of a panting war horse.^[4][9]
• 5th century BC – Empedocles uses it for the force of winds.^[4][9]
• Modern Greek – μένος means fury, a violent urge.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Might, strength, vigour.^[4][5]
2. Passion, fury, rage.^[5][1]
3. Spirit, courage, resolve.^[5][1]
4. Life force, life.^[5]
5. The force of things: of fire, the sun, rivers, winds.^[4][5]
6. Mind; desire, purpose.^[1]

Word family

• ἀμενηνός (amenēnós)
• δυσμενής (dusmenḗs)
• μενοεικής (menoeikḗs)
• ὑπερμενής (hupermenḗs)

Related words

• αὐτόματος (autómatos)
• Ἀχαιμένης (Akhaiménēs)
• μενεαίνω (meneaínō)
• μενοινάω (menoináō)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
3. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge