Αἴτνη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain, possibly from a Pre-Greek substrate. Suggested connection with Proto-Indo-European *h₂eydʰ- (“burn; fire”), with dʰ > t through Siculan dialect. If so, then cognate with Ancient Greek αἴθω (aíthō, “I burn”), Latin aestus (“hot”), aestās (“summer”), possibly aedis (“shrine, temple”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ǎi̯.tnɛː/ → /ˈɛ.tni/ → /ˈe.tni/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ǎi̯.tnɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.tne̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.tni/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈe.tni/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈe.tni/

Proper noun

Αἴτνη • (Aítnē) f (genitive Αἴτνης); first declension

1. (Anthroponym, Greek mythology) Aetna (Sicilian nymph), related to the homonymous place.
2. (Toponym) Aetna (an ancient city in Sicily); Diodorus Siculus and Strabo write that Hiero conquered Κατάνη (Katánē) and deported its inhabitants to Λεοντῖνοι (Leontînoi), repopulating it with Greeks of Doric descent and changing its name to Aítnā.
3. Mount Etna

Inflection

First declension of ἡ Αἴτνη; τῆς Αἴτνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Αἴτνη hē Aítnē
Genitive	τῆς Αἴτνης tês Aítnēs
Dative	τῇ Αἴτνῃ têi Aítnēi
Accusative	τὴν Αἴτνην tḕn Aítnēn
Vocative	Αἴτνη Aítnē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Αἰτναῖος (Aitnaîos)

Descendants

• → Latin: Aetna (see there for more)

References

• Αἴτνη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,010