μακρός

Forms

μᾰκρός (makrós) m (feminine μᾰκρᾱ́, neuter μᾰκρόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *makrós, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós, from the root *meh₂ḱ- (“long, thin”).^[1][2] It is an old adjective preserved also in Latin and Germanic: Latin macer (“meagre, thin”), Old High German magar and Old Norse magr, all meaning “thin, lean”.^[2][3] A parallel formation in -l- is Hittite maklant- (“meagre”).^[2][3] The long vowel of the same root appears in the noun μῆκος (mêkos, “length”).^[3][2] In the sense “long, high”, μακρός ousted the inherited δολιχός (dolikhós).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is common in Homer, of long spears (Iliad 3.135) and of high walls and trees.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Classical Greek used it for length in space, height and depth, distance and duration, and for great amounts.^[5] “Long ships” were warships, and the Long Walls joined Athens to the Piraeus.^[5] Of speeches and stories it meant long or lengthy, and the phrase διὰ μακρῶν (dià makrôn) meant “at length”.^[5] Aristotle used it for long vowels and syllables.^[5]

In medieval Greek the word remained in use.^[6] Today Modern Greek μακρός (makrós) is a learned form taken from the ancient adjective.^[7] English has the combining form English macro-, taken via French and Medieval Latin, and English macron, the name of the length mark, from the neuter.^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of long spears and high walls.^[4]
• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus and Herodotus use “long ships” for warships.^[5][9]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides names the Long Walls of Athens.^[5][9]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of large property, and for long vowels and syllables.^[5][9]
• 1827 – English borrows the derivative macron.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Long in extent: of weapons, ships, walls, roads, and “long ships” are warships.^[5][4]
2. Tall, high; of a well, deep.^[5][4]
3. Long in distance; far away, remote.^[5]
4. Great in amount: of wealth, property or interest.^[5]
5. Long in duration: of time, a lifetime, a war; of speeches, lengthy.^[5][10]
6. Of vowels and syllables: long.^[5]

Word family

• μακραίων (makraíōn)
• μακραύχην (makraúkhēn)
• μακρηγορέω (makrēgoréō)
• μακρόβιος (makróbios)
• μακροβιότης (makrobiótēs)
• μακρολογέω (makrologéō)
• μακρολογία (makrología)
• μακρολόγος (makrológos)
• μακρῶς (makrôs)

Related words

• μακιστήρ (makistḗr)
• μακύνω (mākū́nō)
• μῆκος (mêkos)
• μηκύνω (mēkū́nō)
• Latin macer
• English macron

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 c Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
4. ^ a b c d Cunliffe, Richard John (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, London: Blackie and Son
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
10. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press