γυνή

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• βανά (baná) — Boeotian
• γυνά (guná) — Doric

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷonā. Cognates include Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀙𐀊 (ku-na-ja), Sanskrit ग्ना (gnā́), जनि (jáni), Old Armenian կին (kin), and Old English cwēn (English queen).

The weak stem is probably from the strong stem suffixed with *-keh₂ (compare μέγᾰς (mégăs)). Compare also Latin mulier for the development of using hypocorisms to refer to women. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡy.nɛ̌ː/ → /ʝyˈni/ → /ʝiˈni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡy.nɛ̌ː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ɡyˈne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ʝyˈni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ʝyˈni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ʝiˈni/

Noun

γῠνή • (gŭnḗ) f (genitive γῠναικός); third declension

1. woman, female
   • 412 BCE, Euripides, Helen 329:

     Γυναῖκα γὰρ δὴ συμπονεῖν γυναικὶ χρή.

     Gunaîka gàr dḕ sumponeîn gunaikì khrḗ.

     A woman ought to help a woman.

2. wife

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ γῠνή hē gŭnḗ	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gŭnaîke	αἱ γῠναῖκες hai gŭnaîkes
Genitive	τῆς γῠναικός tês gŭnaikós	τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gŭnaikoîn	τῶν γῠναικῶν tôn gŭnaikôn
Dative	τῇ γῠναικί têi gŭnaikí	τοῖν γῠναικοῖν toîn gŭnaikoîn	ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gŭnaixí(n)
Accusative	τὴν γῠναῖκᾰ tḕn gŭnaîkă	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gŭnaîke	τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gŭnaîkăs
Vocative	γύναι gúnai	γῠναῖκε gŭnaîke	γῠναῖκες gŭnaîkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Irregular declension of ἡ γῠνή; τῆς γῠναικός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ᾱ̔ γῠνά hā gŭná	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gŭnaîke	ταὶ γῠναῖκες taì gŭnaîkes
Genitive	τᾶς γῠναικός tâs gŭnaikós	τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gŭnaikaîn	τᾶν γῠναικᾶν tân gŭnaikân
Dative	τᾷ γῠναικί tâi gŭnaikí	τοῖν γῠναικαῖν toîn gŭnaikaîn	ταῖς γῠναιξί / γῠναιξίν taîs gŭnaixí(n)
Accusative	τᾱ̀ν γῠναῖκᾰ tā̀n gŭnaîkă	τὼ γῠναῖκε tṑ gŭnaîke	τᾱ̀ς γῠναῖκᾰς tā̀s gŭnaîkăs
Vocative	γύναι gúnai	γῠναῖκε gŭnaîke	γῠναῖκες gŭnaîkes
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Irregular declension of ᾱ̔ γῠνά; τᾶς γῠναικός (Doric)

Antonyms

• ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man, male”)

Derived terms

• καλλιγύναιξ (kalligúnaix)

Descendants

• Greek (Modern & varieties):
  • ⇒ Greek: γυναίκα (gynaíka)
  • ⇒ Mariupol Greek: инэ́ка (inéka)
  • ⇒ Tsakonian: γουναίκα (gounaíka)

Further reading

• “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γυνή”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γυνή”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γυνή in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• γυνή in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• γυνή in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• G1135 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • consort idem, page 164.
  • dame idem, page 194.
  • lady idem, page 473.
  • matron idem, page 518.
  • spouse idem, page 805.
  • wife idem, page 978.
  • woman idem, page 986.