μάραγνα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• σμάραγνα (smáragna)

Etymology

The word corresponds to Classical Syriac ܡܪܓܢܐ (māragnā, “kind of scourge”).

Hübschmann already assumed that both were loans from Old Persian *māra-gna (“killer of snakes”), and Walther Hinz derives it from an Old Iranian term *māragna- (literally “snake repellant”); compare Persian مار (mâr, “snake”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /má.ra.ɡna/ → /ˈma.ra.ɣna/ → /ˈma.ra.ɣna/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /má.ra.ɡna/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra.ɡna/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra.ɣna/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra.ɣna/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra.ɣna/

Noun

μᾰ́ρᾰγνᾰ • (máragna) f (genitive μᾰρᾰ́γνης); first declension

1. lash, scourge

   Synonym: μάστιξ (mástix)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ μᾰ́ρᾰγνᾰ; τῆς μᾰρᾰ́γνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ μᾰ́ρᾰγνᾰ hē máragna	τὼ μᾰρᾰ́γνᾱ tṑ marágnā	αἱ μᾰ́ρᾰγναι hai máragnai
Genitive	τῆς μᾰρᾰ́γνης tês marágnēs	τοῖν μᾰρᾰ́γναιν toîn marágnain	τῶν μᾰρᾰγνῶν tôn maragnôn
Dative	τῇ μᾰρᾰ́γνῃ têi marágnēi	τοῖν μᾰρᾰ́γναιν toîn marágnain	ταῖς μᾰρᾰ́γναις taîs marágnais
Accusative	τὴν μᾰ́ρᾰγνᾰν tḕn máragnan	τὼ μᾰρᾰ́γνᾱ tṑ marágnā	τᾱ̀ς μᾰρᾰ́γνᾱς tā̀s marágnās
Vocative	μᾰ́ρᾰγνᾰ máragna	μᾰρᾰ́γνᾱ marágnā	μᾰ́ρᾰγναι máragnai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Further reading

• “μάραγνα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• μάραγνα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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