LOGOI

The corpus record

ἄκανθ-α

akantha

thorn, thistle

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 28 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. ἄκανθα · akantha — Beekes

ἄκανθα [[1] ‘thorn, thistle’, name of different thorny plants (Strémberg 1940: 17), also ‘backbone, spine’ of fish, snake, or man (Od.). ΑΚ Note ἄκανθος [m.] ‘acanthus’ (Acanthus mollis). *DER Many derived adjektives: ἀκάνθινος, ἀκανθώδης, ἀκανθικός, ἀκανθηρός, ἀκανθήεις ‘provided with thorns, etc.’. Further diminutive ἀκάνθιον; ἀκανθίας kind of shark or grasshopper (cf. Stromberg 1943: 47, Strémberg 1944: … — [Beekes, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 95]

2. ἄκανθα · akantha — Chantraine

ἄκανθα selon Eumach. ‘chez Ath. 15; 7881 e, et. ἀχακαλλίς " ἄνθος ναρχίσσου Hsch. ; 3 — ἄρκευθος g’aévrier (Ps. Dsc. 1,76). Ei.: Inconnue. Origine orientale, et spécialement égyptienne ‘possible. Influence per étymologie populaire de ἄκανθα, etc., possible. — [Chantraine, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 59]

3. ἄκανθα · akantha — Chantraine

ἄκανθα : f. «épine » (Arist.), diverses sortes de plantes épineuses (Hom. Od. 5,328, etc.) ef. Strômberg, Pflanzennamen, 17 ; secondairement ἄκανθα est le nom des épines de certains poissons (Arist.), de l’arête dorsale des poissons {Æsch., Ar., etc.), de l’épine dorsale des animaux ou de l'homme (Hdt., etc.). On a le doublet ἄκανθος, -ou m. «acanthe », Acanthus mollis (cf. André, Lexique, 8.v.\ qui a fourni un … — [Chantraine, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 59]

4. ἄκανθα · akantha — Chantraine

ἄκανθα ὧ Arist.), ἀκανθίς (Cait, Ps. δος. ) ἀκανθίας (selon Poliux, serait une sorte d'asperge), tous noms de plantes : ἀκανθών et ἀκανθεών « buissnn d'épines » (tardif). D'autres termes, qui désignent des animaux, se rattachent de façon diverse à la notion d'épine : ἀκανθίᾶς, τοῦ déjà cité comme nom de plante, est une sorte de squals (Arist.), ainsi nommé à cause d'un dos épineux, cf. Stromberg, Fischnamen, 47, … — [Chantraine, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 60]

5. ἄκανθα · akantha — Frisk

ἄκανθα “Dorn, Distel’, Bez. verschiedener stacheliger Pflanzen (Strömberg Pfianzennamen 17), auch "Rückgrat’, (seit Od.) und äxardos m. "Bärenklan’ (Acanthus mollis). Aus ἄκανθα stammen mehrere Adjektiva: ἀκάνθινος, ἀκανθώδης, ἀκανϑικός, ἀκανϑηρός, ἀκανϑήεις "aus äx. bestehend’. Ferner die Substantiv» ἀκάνϑιον (Demin.), dxavdlas Art Haifisch, Art Heuschrecke (vgl. Strömberg Fischnamen 47, Wortstudien 17), ἀκανϑίς … — [Frisk, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 80]

6. ἄκανθα · akantha — Frisk

ἄκανθα. Nach Belardi Rend. Acc. Lincei 8: 10 (1955) 308-331 mit aind. kanta-ka- “Dorn, Stachel” aus einem indo-mediterranen Substrat. Ähnlich Deroy Glotta 35 (1956) 189f. — Zum unklaren ἀκαλανϑίς bei Ar. Pax 1078 Borthwick ClassRBev. N.S. 18 (1968) 134-139. — [Frisk, s.v. ἄκανθα, p. 2149]

7. ἄκανθ-α · akanth-a — LSJ

thorn, prickle

thorn, prickle, Arist. PA 655a19, Thphr. HP 6.1.3: hence,

1 any thorny, prickly plant, Eryngium campestre, thistles, smaller milk-thistle, Notobasis syriaca, fish-thistle, Cnicus Acarna, Balsamodendron Mukul, Acacia albida, Euphorbia antiquorum, corn-thistle, Carduus arvensis

any thorny or prickly plant (in Od. 5.328 (pl.) prob. Eryngium campestre), S. Fr. 718, Eub. 107.19, Theoc. 1.132, etc.: prov., οὐ γὰρ ἄκανθαι no thistles, i.e. ‘an easy job’, Ar. Fr. 272, 483:—special kinds: ἄ. Ἀραβική smaller milk-thistle, Notobasis syriaca, Dsc. 3.13; ἄ. βασιλική fish-thistle, Cnicus Acarna, Thphr. CP 1.10.5; ἄ. Ἰνδική, = Balsamodendron Mukul, Id. HP 9.1.2; ἄ. λευκή Acacia albida, ib. 4.2.8; = ἄ. βασιλική, Dsc. 3.12; ἄ. λευκὴ τρίοζος, = Euphorbia antiquorum, Thphr. HP 4.4.12;

2 Spanish broom, Spartium junceum, Acacia arabica, Acacia tortilis

of other plants, e.g. Spanish broom, Spartium junceum, Str. 3.5.10:— = ἀκακία, ἄ. Αἰγυπτία, Thphr. HP 9.1.2. cf. POxy. 1188.10 (13 A.D.), etc.; ἄ. μέλαινα Acacia arabica, Thphr. HP 4.2.8, cf. Hdt. 2.96, Thd. Is. 41.19; ἄ. διψάς, = Acacia tortilis, Thphr. HP 4.7.1.

3

central flowering-bud of χαμαιλέων λευκός, ib. 9.12.1, Dsc. 3.8.

4

= ἄκανθος, Ps.-Dsc. 3.17.

5 prickles, spines

in pl., prickles or spines of the hedgehog and of certain fish, Ion Trag. 38, Arist. HA 530b8.

6 backbone, spine, the spinous processes of the vertebrae

backbone or spine of fish, A. Fr. 275, Ar. V. 969, Alex. 110.11, al.; of serpents, Hdt. 2.75, Theoc. 24.32, A.R. 4.150; of men, Hdt. 4.72, Hp. Art. 14, E. El. 492, Arist. PA 654a26, Gal. 2.451, etc.; improperly used of mammalia, acc. to Arist. APo. 98a22; of the spinous processes of the vertebrae, Gal. 2.758; χονδρώδεις ἄ. false ribs, Ruf. Oss. 25.

7 thorny

metaph. in pl., thorny questions, Luc. Hes. 5, Ath. 3.97d.

In the wild

6 of 57 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

Downloads

Word record (JSON)·Concordance (CSV)·Frequencies (CSV)·Cite (BibTeX)

CC BY 4.0 with receipt attribution — every file carries its license line. What is exportable

Ask the librarian

Ask about ἄκανθ-α →