Etymologically
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μένος

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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)
  • 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