μάρναμαι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

βᾰ́ρνᾰμαι (bárnamai)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

Beekes derives the verb from a zero-grade nasal present of a Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“to seize, grip”), and compares Sanskrit मृणीहि (mṛṇīhi) and मृणति (mṛṇati) (which trace back to the Sanskrit root Sanskrit मृण् (mṛṇ, “to crush, smash)”) as potential exact matches. The original meaning of the Greek would have been something like "to crush or grab one another".^[1] However, the Sanskrit is traditionally derived from a nasal extension of Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to grind, crush”),^[2] which cannot produce the Greek form.

Other potential cognates adduced by Rix (which, as Beekes notes, have not been ascertained by other linguists) include Albanian marr (“to take”), Old Norse merja (“to beat, crush”), and Hittite [script needed] (marritta, “is crushed”).^[3] The Albanian and Germanic terms have alternative plausible derivations, which along with the Sanskrit place the existence of the Indo-European root in doubt.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /már.na.mai̯/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.na.mɛ/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.na.mɛ/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.na.me/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.na.me/

Verb

μᾰ́ρνᾰμαι • (márnamai)

to fight, battle
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.475:
  μάρναό τε Τρώεσσι καὶ ἄλλους ὄρνυθι λαούς.
  márnaó te Trṓessi kaì állous órnuthi laoús.
  And do battle with the Trojans, and urge on the rest of the folk.
to contend, strive
- 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 2.65:
  ὅθεν φαμὶ καὶ σὲ τὰν ἀπείρονα δόξαν εὑρεῖν, τὰ μὲν ἐν ἱπποσόαισιν ἄνδρεσσι μαρνάμενον, τὰ δ’ ἐν πεζομάχαισι:
  hóthen phamì kaì sè tàn apeírona dóxan heureîn, tà mèn en hipposóaisin ándressi marnámenon, tà d’ en pezomákhaisi:
  And so I say that you too have found boundless fame by fighting among both horsemen and foot soldiers.

Inflection

Present: μᾰ́ρνᾰμαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle/ passive	indicative	μᾰ́ρνᾰμαι	μᾰ́ρνᾰσαι	μᾰ́ρνᾰται	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον	μᾰρνᾰ́μεθᾰ	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε	μᾰ́ρνᾰνται
	subjunctive	μᾰρνῶμαι	μᾰρνῇ	μᾰρνῆται	μᾰρνῆσθον	μᾰρνῆσθον	μᾰρνώμεθᾰ	μᾰρνῆσθε	μᾰρνῶνται
	optative	μᾰρναίμην	μᾰ́ρναιο	μᾰ́ρναιτο	μᾰ́ρναισθον	μᾰρναίσθην	μᾰρναίμεθᾰ	μᾰ́ρναισθε	μᾰ́ρναιντο
	imperative		μᾰ́ρνᾰσο	μᾰρνᾰ́σθω	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον	μᾰρνᾰ́σθων		μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε	μᾰρνᾰ́σθων
						middle/passive
infinitive						μᾰ́ρνᾰσθαι
participle	m					μᾰρνᾰ́μενος
	f					μᾰρνᾰμένη
	n					μᾰρνᾰ́μενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Imperfect: ἐμᾰρνᾰ́μην

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle/ passive	indicative	ἐμᾰρνᾰ́μην	ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσο	ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰτο	ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσθον	ἐμᾰρνᾰ́σθην	ἐμᾰρνᾰ́μεθᾰ	ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσθε	ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰντο
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Imperfect: μᾰρνᾰ́μην (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle/ passive	indicative	μᾰρνᾰ́μην	μᾰ́ρνᾰσο	μᾰ́ρνᾰτο	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον	μᾰρνᾰ́σθην	μᾰρνᾰ́με(σ)θᾰ	μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε	μᾰ́ρνᾰντο
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

ἐπῐμάρνᾰμαι (epimárnamai)
περῐμάρνᾰμαι (perimárnamai)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μάρναμαι”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 907
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “MARᴵ¹ (> mṛṇīhí)”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 319-20
^ Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*merh₂-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 440