θώραξ

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

θώρηξ (thṓrēx) — Epic, Ionic
θόρραξ (thórrhax) — Aeolic

Etymology

Related to Mycenaean Greek 𐀵𐀨𐀐 (to-ra-ke), a technical word without etymology; probably a loan from Pre-Greek or some other substrate, based on the variant θύραξ (thúrax) showing variation ω/υ and the suffix -ᾱκ-. Traditionally compared to, but unrelated to, Latin firmus (“strong, firm”), Sanskrit धारका (dhārakā, “container”) (see Pokorny);^[1] however, Latin lōrīca (“breastplate”) may be cognate via the same substrate. The medical "trunk" meaning is probably secondary from the "armor" meaning.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /tʰɔ̌ː.raːks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈtʰo.raks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈθo.raks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈθo.raks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈθo.raks/

Noun

θώρᾱξ • (thṓrāx) m (genitive θώρᾱκος); third declension

corselet
linen jerkin
coat of mail, cuirass
slough of a serpent
Synonyms: λεβηρίς (lebērís), σῦφαρ (sûphar)
(anatomy) trunk, thorax
bandage for the chest

Declension

Third declension of ὁ θώρᾱξ; τοῦ θώρᾱκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ θώρᾱξ ho thṓrāx	τὼ θώρᾱκε tṑ thṓrāke	οἱ θώρᾱκες hoi thṓrākes
Genitive	τοῦ θώρᾱκος toû thṓrākos	τοῖν θωρᾱ́κοιν toîn thōrā́koin	τῶν θωρᾱ́κων tôn thōrā́kōn
Dative	τῷ θώρᾱκῐ tôi thṓrāki	τοῖν θωρᾱ́κοιν toîn thōrā́koin	τοῖς θώρᾱξῐ / θώρᾱξῐν toîs thṓrāxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν θώρᾱκᾰ tòn thṓrāka	τὼ θώρᾱκε tṑ thṓrāke	τοὺς θώρᾱκᾰς toùs thṓrākas
Vocative	θώρᾱξ thṓrāx	θώρᾱκε thṓrāke	θώρᾱκες thṓrākes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

θωρακεῖον (thōrakeîon)
θωρακίζω (thōrakízō)
θωρακικός (thōrakikós)
θωράκιον (thōrákion)
θωρακίς (thōrakís)
θωρακισμός (thōrakismós)
θωρακίτης (thōrakítēs)
θωρακοειδής (thōrakoeidḗs)
θωρακοζώνη (thōrakozṓnē)
θωρακοποιός (thōrakopoiós)
θωρακοπώλης (thōrakopṓlēs)
θωρακοφόρος (thōrakophóros)
θωρηκτής (thōrēktḗs)
λινοθώραξ (linothṓrax)

Descendants

Greek: θώρακας (thórakas)
→ Latin: thōrāx (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “2. dher-, dherə-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 252-255
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “θώραξ”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 569

“θώραξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“θώραξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
θώραξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
“θώραξ”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- armour idem, page 40.
- breast-plate idem, page 96.
- coat idem, page 141.
- corselet idem, page 176.
- cuirass idem, page 188.
- hauberk idem, page 388.
- mail idem, page 508.

[1] Pokorny, Julius (1959) “2. dher-, dherə-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 252-255

[2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “θώραξ”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 569

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