Talk:μήκων

poppyhead (architecture)

I may copy this to an RFV page soon but I want to work in a clean space first.

We added in this diff a link to this URL saying that poppyhead in the literal sense is μήκων in ancient Greek, as used in a writing labeled Thphr. HP4.8.10, which i assume is Theophrastus. It'd be nice if they explained that, but that's not what I'm after anyhow. I'm more suspicious about the architectural sense. That very same page says that poppyhead in the sense of an architectural element is also covered by μήκων in ancient Greek, as it was used in a writing labeled as Paus.5.20.5. And I dont know what that is. Is it w:Pausanias (geographer), someone who lived more than 2,000 years ago?

Our Wikipedia article is at w:Poppyhead (carving) and suggests it's a fairly modern style of architecture, and our entry at poppyhead mentions Gothic architecture, which has only been around for a few hundred years. Why would ancient Greek have a word for that? Is it possible we're talking about two completely different things, and maybe we just recycled the word for something belonging to an essentially unrelated tradition that merely happens to sometimes appear flowerlike?

Also, I wanted to mention that the link to Paus.5.20.5, visible in the definition, doesnt contain the word μήκων, nor does it seem to have anything to do with flowers or architecture. Maybe that was introduced in a modern translation, in which case I wouldnt say it's a meaning of the ancient Greek word. —Soap— 16:40, 30 May 2023 (UTC)

In fact I cant find an exact translation of poppyhead into *any* language, not even French, which may have been the source of the word in English if it isn't derived from the flower. But that may be because it's always clear enough to just call them finials. —Soap— 17:27, 30 May 2023 (UTC)

It would seem that ancient Greek benches typically were made of stone and did not have armrests, and it's possible that pre-Christian Greek temples did not have benches anyway. If there is any use of floral designs such as finials in ancient Greek architecture it must be something completely different, perhaps on beds, which seem to be surprisingly ornate by comparison (though perhaps only the wealthiest people's beds have survived all this time). If there is a definition left to keep at all, I would say that we need to rewrite it, so that it is not confused with the modern sense. —Soap— 17:51, 30 May 2023 (UTC)

Possibly ἄκανθος (w:acanthus (ornament)), though that's a leaf, not a flower blossom, and also mostly known from the Christian era. —Soap— 18:11, 30 May 2023 (UTC)

etymology

this is not related to the above. i just wanted to post that Perseus has γλήχων and βλήχων, which are variants of each other, presumably from original /gʷ/, and which are defined as pennyroyal. And I just realized we list βλήχων already. Neither word has a /k/, however. If forms with /k/ existed, they must be undocumented variants. —Soap— 22:59, 4 June 2023 (UTC)