μελάνθριξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

μέλᾱς (mélās, “black”, neuter: μέλᾰν (mélan)) +‎ θρῐ́ξ (thríx, “hair”, genitive: τρῐχός (trikhós))

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /me.lán.tʰriks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.tʰriks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /meˈlan.θriks/

Adjective

μελᾰ́νθρῐξ • (melánthrix) m or f (genitive μελᾰνότρῐχος, no neuter); third declension

black-haired
- 460 BCE – 370 BCE, Hippocrates, Epidemics 1.19:
  πλῆθος μὲν οὖν τῶν νοσημάτων ἐγένετο. ἐκ δὲ τῶν καμνόντων ἀπέθνῃσκον μάλιστα μειράκια, νέοι, ἀκμάζοντες, λεῖοι, ὑπολευκόχρωτες, ἰθύτριχες, μελανότριχες, μελανόφθαλμοι, οἱ εἰκῇ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ῥᾴθυμον βεβιωκότες, ἰσχνόφωνοι, τρηχύφωνοι, τραυλοί, ὀργίλοι.
  plêthos mèn oûn tôn nosēmátōn egéneto. ek dè tôn kamnóntōn apéthnēiskon málista meirákia, néoi, akmázontes, leîoi, hupoleukókhrōtes, ithútrikhes, melanótrikhes, melanóphthalmoi, hoi eikêi kaì epì tò rhā́ithumon bebiōkótes, iskhnóphōnoi, trēkhúphōnoi, trauloí, orgíloi.
  1868 translation by William Henry Samuel Jones
  Now the number of illnesses was great. And of the patients there died chiefly striplings, young people, people in their prime, the smooth, the fair-skinned, the straight-haired, the black-haired, the black-eyed, those who had lived recklessly and care-lessly, the thin-voiced, the rough-voiced, the lispers, the passionate.
- 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Generation of Animals 786a.25, (book V, chapter vi):
  Ἔτι δ’ αἱ γλῶτται διαφέρουσι τῶν ἁπλῶν τε καὶ ποικίλων καὶ τῶν ἁπλῶν μὲν διαφερόντων δέ, οἷον λευκῶν καὶ μελάνων. αἴτιον δὲ τὸ εἰρημένον πρότερον, ὅτι τὰ δέρματα ποικίλα τῶν ποικίλων, καὶ τῶν λευκοτρίχων καὶ τῶν μελανοτρίχων τῶν μὲν λευκὰ τῶν δὲ μέλανα.
  Éti d’ hai glôttai diaphérousi tôn haplôn te kaì poikílōn kaì tôn haplôn mèn diapheróntōn dé, hoîon leukôn kaì melánōn. aítion dè tò eirēménon próteron, hóti tà dérmata poikíla tôn poikílōn, kaì tôn leukotríkhōn kaì tôn melanotríkhōn tôn mèn leukà tôn dè mélana.
- c. 300 B.C.E., Aristotle, Physiognomonics 808a.19, (a pseudo-Aristotelian treatise):
  εὐθύθριξ καὶ μελάνθριξ.
  euthúthrix kaì melánthrix.

Declension

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ μελᾰ́νθρῐξ; τοῦ, τῆς μελᾰνότρῐχος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ μελᾰ́νθρῐξ ho, hē melánthrix	τὼ μελᾰνότρῐχε tṑ melanótrikhe	οἱ, αἱ μελᾰνότρῐχες hoi, hai melanótrikhes
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς μελᾰνότρῐχος toû, tês melanótrikhos	τοῖν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χοιν toîn melanotríkhoin	τῶν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χων tôn melanotríkhōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ μελᾰνότρῐχῐ tôi, têi melanótrikhi	τοῖν μελᾰνοτρῐ́χοιν toîn melanotríkhoin	τοῖς, ταῖς μελᾰ́νθρῐξῐ / μελᾰ́νθρῐξῐν toîs, taîs melánthrixi / melánthrixin
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν μελᾰνότρῐχᾰ tòn, tḕn melanótrikha	τὼ μελᾰνότρῐχε tṑ melanótrikhe	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς μελᾰνότρῐχᾰς toùs, tā̀s melanótrikhas
Vocative	μελᾰ́νθρῐξ melánthrix	μελᾰνότρῐχε melanótrikhe	μελᾰνότρῐχες melanótrikhes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: ātricapillus (calque)