μῦς Ancient Greek · revision 15545

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=5th century BC, Herodotus|origins=ine-pro *múHs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /mŷːs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈmys/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈmys/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''μῦς''' (mûs) ''m'' (genitive μῠός); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|grk-pro|*mū́s]], [[inh|ine-pro|*múHs|t=mouse]], the old Indo-European name of the mouse.^(Wiktionary)^(Beekes 2010) The long vowel was caused by a laryngeal, as the accent of [[sh|miš|alt=mȉš]] and [[txb|maścitse|t=mouse]] show.^(Beekes 2010) The accusative [[m|grc|μῦν|tr=mûn]] is a new form made after [[m|grc|ὗν|tr=hûn]].^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960)

+

+ Cognate with [[la|mūs|t=mouse]], [[goh|mūs|t=mouse]], [[ang|mūs|t=mouse]], [[sa|मूष्|tr=mū́ṣ|t=mouse]] and [[xcl|մուկն|tr=mukn|t=mouse; muscle]].^(Beekes 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Its first recorded use is in Herodotus (5th century BC), for mice.^(GLAUx)^(DGE) Aristophanes and Xenophon also have it.^(GLAUx)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant a mouse or rat.^(CGL 2021) Aeschylus and later writers also used it for sea creatures, a mussel and a kind of whale.^(Beekes 2010)^(CGL 2021) The Hippocratic writers and Aristotle used it for a muscle, from the mouse-like movement of certain muscles under the skin, a metaphor also found in Germanic, in Latin [[m|la|mūsculus|t=little mouse; muscle]] and in Armenian.^(Beekes 2010)^(Frisk 1960) Proverbs spoke of “a mouse tasting pitch” (Demosthenes, Theocritus), of risking a bad outcome, and of the mountain in labour that gave birth to a mouse (Plutarch).^(CGL 2021)

+

+ Its compounds include [[μυγαλῆ|tr=mugalê]] “shrew-mouse” (Herodotus) and [[βατραχομυομαχία|tr=batrakhomuomakhía]], “battle of frogs and mice”.^(Beekes 2010)^(Wiktionary) Modern Greek has the learned ''μυς''.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for mice.^(GLAUx)^(DGE)

+ * 5th century BC – Hippocratic writers use it for a muscle.^(Beekes 2010)^(DGE)

+ * 4th century BC – Demosthenes has the proverb of the mouse tasting pitch.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch has the mountain that gave birth to a mouse.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|mouse]], [[m|en|rat]].^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # A [[m|en|mussel]]; a kind of whale.^(Beekes 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|muscle]].^(Beekes 2010)^(CGL 2021)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[βατραχομυομαχία|tr=batrakhomuomakhía]]

+ * [[μυάγρα|tr=muágrā]]

+ * [[μυγαλέη|tr=mūgaléē]]

+ * [[μύϊνος|tr=múïnos]]

+ * [[μυοσωτίς|tr=muosōtís]]

+ * [[μυών|tr=mūṓn]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|mūs]]

+ * [[en|mouse]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}