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

 

• IPA^(key): /tʰɔ̌ː.raːks/ → /ˈθo.raks/ → /ˈθo.raks/

• (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

1. corselet
2. linen jerkin
3. coat of mail, cuirass
4. slough of a serpent

   Synonyms: λεβηρίς (lebērís), σῦφαρ (sûphar)

5. (anatomy) trunk, thorax
6. bandage for the chest

Declension

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.

Third declension of ὁ θώρᾱξ; τοῦ θώρᾱκος (Attic)

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

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

Further reading

• “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.