φάρυγξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

φᾰ́ρῠξ (phárux)

Etymology

According to Frisk an inherited Indo-European word for “throat, gorge”, cognate to Latin frūmen and Old Armenian երբուծ (erbuc), both from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- (“to use, enjoy”), but phonetically this is somewhat problematic as the Greek form requires laryngeal metathesis to *bʰr̥Hug-, turning the root disyllabic, for unknown reasons. Alternatively, it could be related to φᾰ́ρᾰγξ (pháranx, “ravine, cleft, chasm, gully, abyss”) or φᾶρος (phâros, “cloth, cloak”), also of disputed origin.

Beekes pointed out that the prenasalized suffix -ῠγγ- (or -ῠγ-) argues for a Pre-Greek origin. Compare λᾰ́ρῠγξ (lárunx).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /pʰá.ryŋks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpʰa.ryŋks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɸa.ryŋks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.ryŋks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈfa.riŋks/

Noun

φᾰ́ρῠγξ • (phárunx) f or m (genitive φᾰ́ρῠγος or φᾰ́ρῠγγος); third declension

throat, windpipe, esophagus, pharynx
(zootomy) dewlap of a bull
(in the plural, pathology) diseases of the throat

Usage notes

Primarily feminine, rarely masculine.

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ φᾰ́ρῠγξ; τοῦ, τῆς φᾰ́ρῠγος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ φᾰ́ρῠγξ ho, hē phárunx	τὼ φᾰ́ρῠγε tṑ pháruge	οἱ, αἱ φᾰ́ρῠγες hoi, hai pháruges
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς φᾰ́ρῠγος toû, tês phárugos	τοῖν φᾰρῠ́γοιν toîn pharúgoin	τῶν φᾰρῠ́γων tôn pharúgōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ φᾰ́ρῠγῐ tôi, têi phárugi	τοῖν φᾰρῠ́γοιν toîn pharúgoin	τοῖς, ταῖς φᾰ́ρῠξῐ / φᾰ́ρῠξῐν toîs, taîs pháruxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν φᾰ́ρῠγᾰ tòn, tḕn pháruga	τὼ φᾰ́ρῠγε tṑ pháruge	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς φᾰ́ρῠγᾰς toùs, tā̀s phárugas
Vocative	φᾰ́ρῠγξ phárunx	φᾰ́ρῠγε pháruge	φᾰ́ρῠγες pháruges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ φᾰ́ρῠγξ; τοῦ, τῆς φᾰ́ρῠγγος (later Greek, Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ φᾰ́ρῠγξ ho, hē phárunx	τὼ φᾰ́ρῠγγε tṑ phárunge	οἱ, αἱ φᾰ́ρῠγγες hoi, hai phárunges
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς φᾰ́ρῠγγος toû, tês phárungos	τοῖν φᾰρῠ́γγοιν toîn pharúngoin	τῶν φᾰρῠ́γγων tôn pharúngōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ φᾰ́ρῠγγῐ tôi, têi phárungi	τοῖν φᾰρῠ́γγοιν toîn pharúngoin	τοῖς, ταῖς φᾰ́ρῠγξῐ / φᾰ́ρῠγξῐν toîs, taîs phárunxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν φᾰ́ρῠγγᾰ tòn, tḕn phárunga	τὼ φᾰ́ρῠγγε tṑ phárunge	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς φᾰ́ρῠγγᾰς toùs, tā̀s phárungas
Vocative	φᾰ́ρῠγξ phárunx	φᾰ́ρῠγγε phárunge	φᾰ́ρῠγγες phárunges
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: φάρυγγας (fáryngas)
→ New Latin: pharynx
- → English: pharynx
→ Italian: faringe

References

“φάρυγξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press