μύρμηξ

Forms

μῠ́ρμηξ (múrmēx) m (genitive μῠ́ρμηκος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

Beekes takes it as a genuine Indo-European word, from a basic form inherited from Proto-Indo-European *morwi- (“ant”), distorted in most languages, perhaps by taboo, and perhaps influenced by the word for “worm”.^[2][1] The Greek suffix -ηκ- is the one found in other names of small creatures, such as σκώληξ (skṓlēx, “worm”) and σφήξ (sphḗx, “wasp”).^[2] Chantraine likewise holds that the names of insects, outside the noble vocabulary, varied freely, so that related forms can be set side by side without being reduced to one.^[3]

The basic form is continued in Avestan maoiri-, Old Irish moirb and Old Russian, and forms with *mour- and *meur- in Old Norse maurr.^[2][3] Latin formīca (“ant”) and Sanskrit वल्मीक (valmīka-, “ant-hill”) have a velar suffix like the Greek word but are probably not directly related to it.^[2][1] If the f- of the Latin word comes from m- by dissimilation, however, it would be close to μύρμηξ.^[2][3] Wiktionary also compares Old Armenian մրջիւն (mrǰiwn).^[1]

Greek itself has variants: Doric μύρμαξ (múrmax), and the Hesychian βόρμαξ (bórmax) and ὅρμικας (hórmikas), where β- probably stands for ϝ- and in the latter a ϝ- may have been lost.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first known use is in the fragments of Hesiod.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Archilochus, Aeschylus and Herodotus it is the ant.^[5][6] Herodotus tells of “ants” in India that dig up gold, a story Strabo and others repeat.^[4][5] Figuratively it was used of crowds of people in Theocritus, and a poet called sailors the “ants of the sea”.^[5][4] It also named hidden rocks in the sea, such as those off the Thessalian coast in Herodotus, and in Pollux a boxing glove studded with metal.^[4][2] In the Septuagint the ant is a model of hard work for the lazy man.^[7]

Medieval Greek replaced it with the diminutive μυρμήγκι(ν), from Hellenistic μυρμήκιον (murmḗkion), with /k/ voiced after the nasal; this is Modern Greek μυρμήγκι (mirmígi).^[8][9] Medieval Greek also had the forms μέρμηγκας and μύρμηγκας, which are still used.^[10]

Timeline

• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's fragments have it.^[4][11]
• 7th century BC – Archilochus uses it.^[5][11]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus tells of gold-digging ants in India and names the rocks called Myrmex.^[4][11]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theocritus uses it of a crowd of people.^[5][11]
• 2nd century AD – Pollux uses it of a studded boxing glove.^[4][11]
• Modern Greek – The diminutive Modern Greek μυρμήγκι (mirmígi) has replaced it.^[8][9]

Meanings

Noun

1. An ant.^[4][5]
2. A fabulous gold-digging creature of India.^[4][5]
3. (figurative) A crowd of people.^[5]
4. A hidden rock in the sea.^[4][2]
5. A boxing gauntlet studded with metal.^[4]

Word family

• μυρμηδών (murmēdṓn)
• μυρμηκολέων (murmēkoléōn)
• μυρμηκιά (murmēkiá)
• μυρμήκιον (murmḗkion)

Related words

• Latin formīca
• Modern Greek μυρμήγκι (mirmígi)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 e f g h i j k l 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 Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
10. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
11. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge