αἰχμή

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *aiksmā, whence also Mycenaean Greek 𐁁𐀏𐀭𐀔 (ai-ka-sa-ma /⁠*aiksmans⁠/);^[1] from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ-sm-o/eh₂-,^[1] whence also Old Prussian aysmis and Lithuanian iēšmas, jiēšmas (“spit, broach”); ultimately from *h₂eyḱ- (“to sting; sharp tip, barb”), the same root as possibly Latin īcō (“I stab, sting”), Proto-Germanic *aiglaz, *aiginþs (“shoot, barb”).^[2]

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ai̯kʰ.mɛ̌ː/ → /ɛxˈmi/ → /exˈmi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ai̯kʰ.mɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɛkʰˈme̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ɛxˈmi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /exˈmi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /exˈmi/

Noun

αἰχμή • (aikhmḗ) f (genitive αἰχμῆς); first declension (Epic, Ionic, Attic)

1. point of a spear
2. head of an arrow
3. (figurative) war
4. (by extension) warlike spirit

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ αἰχμή hē aikhmḗ	τὼ αἰχμᾱ́ tṑ aikhmā́	αἱ αἰχμαί hai aikhmaí
Genitive	τῆς αἰχμῆς tês aikhmês	τοῖν αἰχμαῖν toîn aikhmaîn	τῶν αἰχμῶν tôn aikhmôn
Dative	τῇ αἰχμῇ têi aikhmêi	τοῖν αἰχμαῖν toîn aikhmaîn	ταῖς αἰχμαῖς taîs aikhmaîs
Accusative	τὴν αἰχμήν tḕn aikhmḗn	τὼ αἰχμᾱ́ tṑ aikhmā́	τᾱ̀ς αἰχμᾱ́ς tā̀s aikhmā́s
Vocative	αἰχμή aikhmḗ	αἰχμᾱ́ aikhmā́	αἰχμαί aikhmaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ἡ αἰχμή; τῆς αἰχμῆς (Attic)

Derived terms

• αἰχμάζειν (aikhmázein)
• αἰχμάζω (aikhmázō)
• αἰχμᾰ́λωτος (aikhmálōtos)
• αἰχμητής (aikhmētḗs)
• Ἀρίσταιχμος (Arístaikhmos)
• Μέναιχμος (Ménaikhmos)
• ὁμαιχμία (homaikhmía)

 

Related terms

• αἶκλοι (aîkloi, “corners of an arrow”)
• ἰκμαμένος (ikmaménos, “wounded”)
• ἰκτέα (iktéa), ἰκτέα ἀκόντιον (iktéa akóntion, “javelin”)
• (possibly) ἴκταρ (íktar, “near, close (to)”)

Descendants

• Greek: αιχμή (aichmí)

Further reading

1. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “αἰχμή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 45–46
2. Guus Kroonen (2013) “*aigla-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 9

• “αἰχμή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “αἰχμή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “αἰχμή”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• αἰχμή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• αἰχμή in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • dart idem, page 195.
  • javelin idem, page 462.
  • lance idem, page 474.
  • spear idem, page 799.