ἄκανθα

Forms

ᾰ̓́κᾰνθᾰ (ákantha) f (genitive ᾰ̓κᾰ́νθης); first declension^[1]

Etymology

Beekes considers it most probably Pre-Greek, a substrate word, though the only sign of this is its ending in short ⟨-α⟩.^[2][1] The older analysis as a compound from Ancient Greek ἀκή (akḗ, “point”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”), a “sharp flower”, is still given by the DGE beside a blend of ἄκανος (ákanos, “thistle”) with the word for flower, which Babiniotis prefers;^[3][4] Beekes calls both views outdated or improbable.^[2][3][4][1] Belardi's comparison with Sanskrit कण्टक (káṇṭaka, “thorn”) in an Indo-Mediterranean substrate is doubtful.^[2][1] Niedermann connected it with ἀκανθίς (akanthís), by metathesis from ἀκαλανθίς (akalanthís).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in the Odyssey, of thistles blown over the plain by the autumn wind, to which Odysseus' raft is compared.^[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

The basic meaning is a thorn or thorny plant, which was extended to the spine or backbone of fish, snakes and people, in Herodotus, Euripides and Aristophanes.^[2][5] Herodotus also uses it for an Egyptian acacia from which boats were built.^[5] In the Septuagint and the New Testament thorns are the weeds that choke the grain, and Matthew and John speak of a crown of thorns.^[7]

Medieval vernacular Greek kept the word.^[8] Modern Greek άκανθα (ákantha) is learned: a thorn, the acanthus ornament of the Corinthian capital (under the influence of French acanthe), and in anatomy a hard, pointed projection.^[9]

Timeline

• Homer – The Odyssey uses it for thistles blown by the wind.^[2][6]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for an Egyptian acacia and for the backbone.^[5][3]
• 5th century BC – Euripides and Aristophanes use it for the spine.^[5][3]
• 1st century AD – The Gospels use it for the thorns among the grain.^[7]
• Modern Greek – The learned άκανθα means a thorn and the acanthus ornament.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A thorn; a prickly plant.^[5][7]
2. A thistle.^[5]
3. An acacia tree of Egypt, used to build boats.^[5]
4. The backbone or spine of people, animals, snakes and fish.^[5][2]

Word family

• ἀκάνθινος (akánthinos)
• ἀκανθίς (akanthís)
• ἀκανθώδης (akanthṓdēs)
• ἀκανθίας (akanthíās)
• ἀκάνθιον (akánthion)
• ἀκανθίων (akanthíōn)
• ἀκανθόομαι (akanthóomai)
• ἀκανθοφάγος (akanthophágos)
• ἀκανθόχοιρος (akanthókhoiros)
• λευκάκανθα (leukákantha)
• ὀξυάκανθα (oxuákantha)
• τραγάκανθα (tragákantha)

Related words

• ἄκανθος (ákanthos)

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 d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
4. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
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. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
8. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki