μανθάνω
Pronunciation
- IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /man.tʰá.nɔː/[1]
- IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /manˈθa.no/[1]
- IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /manˈθa.no/[1]
Forms
μᾰνθᾰ́νω (manthánō) [1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *mantʰánō, a nasal present to *men(s)dʰh₁-, perhaps an extension of *men- (“to think”), thus “to put one's mind (to something)”.[1][2] All the Greek forms are built on the zero-grade aorist μαθεῖν (matheîn); a full grade may survive in μενθήρη (menthḗrē, “care”) (Hesychius) or in προμηθής (promēthḗs, “forethoughtful”).[2][3]
The full grade μενθ- (menth-) matches Old High German mendī (“gladness”), beside a zero grade in Gothic 𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍉𐌽 (mundōn, “to look at”) and Old Norse munda (“to aim”); Lithuanian mañdras (“lively”) and Old Church Slavonic мѫдръ (mǫdrŭ, “wise”) belong here too.[2] A pre-form *mn̥s-dʰeh₁- is assumed for Sanskrit मेधा (medhā́, “wisdom”) and Avestan mazdā (mazdā, “remembrance”).[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Homer has only the aorist, as in the Iliad (6.444) and the Odyssey (17.226); the present μανθάνω first appears in Pindar.[4][2][5]
Semantic evolution
In Classical Greek it is to learn, get to know, discover or find out, by inquiry, observation, experience or example (Pindar, Herodotus, tragedy).[6] The aorist also meant to understand, and the verb could mean to inquire, to be accustomed, and to notice.[1]
Its nouns include μάθος (máthos) “what has been learnt” (Alcaeus, Aeschylus), μάθημα (máthēma) “knowledge”, whose plural meant the mathematical sciences, with μαθηματικός (mathēmatikós) (Plato, Aristotle), and μαθητής (mathētḗs) “pupil, disciple”.[2] Medieval Greek has the form μαθαίνω, which is the modern verb.[7][8]
Timeline
- Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use the aorist.[4][5]
- 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses the present.[2][5][9]
- 6th century BC – Theognis uses the future μαθήσομαι.[2][9]
- 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses μαθηματικός.[2][9]
- Medieval – Vernacular Greek has μαθαίνω.[7]
Meanings
Verb
- To learn, get to know, find out.[6][1]
- (aorist) To know, understand.[1]
- To inquire, ask.[1]
- To be accustomed to.[1]
- To notice, perceive.[1]
Word family
- ἀναμανθάνω (anamanthánō)
- ἀντιμανθάνω (antimanthánō)
- ἀπομανθάνω (apomanthánō)
- διαμανθάνω (diamanthánō)
- ἐκμανθάνω (ekmanthánō)
- ἐπιμανθάνω (epimanthánō)
- καταμανθάνω (katamanthánō)
- μεταμανθάνω (metamanthánō)
- προμανθάνω (promanthánō)
- προσμανθάνω (prosmanthánō)
- συμμανθάνω (summanthánō)
Related words
- ἀμαθής (amathḗs)
- ἀμαθία (amathíā)
- Ἐπιμηθεύς (Epimētheús)
- ἐπιμηθής (epimēthḗs)
- μάθη (máthē)
- μάθημα (máthēma)
- μαθηματικός (mathēmatikós)
- μαθηματικῶς (mathēmatikôs)
- μάθησις (máthēsis)
- μαθητέος (mathētéos)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
- ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
- ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
- ^ a b c Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
- ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
- ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge