μάλθα

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Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Traditionally connected with μαλθακός (malthakós, soft) and derived from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dʰ- (soft).[1][2][3] Beekes separates from μαλθακός (malthakós) and argues for a Pre-Greek technical loanword; note that *ml̥dʰ- would yield *βλαθ- (*blath-).[4] Compare Arabic مِلَاط (milāṭ) and the other Semitic words mentioned there, as well as Middle Armenian մաղթ (maġtʻ).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

μάλθᾰ (málthaf (genitive μάλθης); first declension

  1. a mixture of wax and pitch used for caulking ships and on writing tablets
  2. a large aquatic animal (perhaps after its tender or wax-like meat)

Inflection

Descendants

  • Latin: maltha
    • Italian: malta, mota
    • English: maltha
    • French: malthe

References

  1. ^ Boisacq, Émile (1916) “μάλθα”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (in French), Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 605
  2. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 719
  3. ^ Chantraine, Pierre (1968–1980) “μαλθακός”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque (in French), Paris: Klincksieck, page 662
  4. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 898

Further reading