LOGOI

The corpus record

μάλη

male

armpit

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

Where it lives

  • Gorgias 1 · 0.38/10k
  • Meditations 1 · 0.34/10k
  • Hellenica 1 · 0.15/10k
  • Discourses 1 · 0.13/10k
  • Odyssey 1 · 0.12/10k
  • Laws 1 · 0.1/10k

What it meant

1. μάλη · malē — Beekes

μάλη [f.] ‘armpit’, almost only in the expression ὑπὸ μάλης ‘under the armpit, secretly’ (Att.), after this also ὑπὸ (τὴν) μάλην (Plb., Luc.), παρὰ τὴν μ. (Hippiatr.). «ἢν eDIAL Myc. ma-ra-pi /malap*i/? *ETYM In the same meaning we find μασχάλῃ, but it does not seem probable that μάλη is a shortened form of μασχάλη. — [Beekes, s.v. μάλη, p. 948]

2. Μάλη · Malē — Chantraine

Μάλη est une forme populaire abrégée de μασχάλῃ, voirs.u. — [Chantraine, s.v. Μάλη, p. 688]

3. μάλη · malē — Frisk

μάλη f. “die Achsel, Δοῃβϑιῃδῃ]ο᾽, fast nur in dem stehenden Ausdruck ὑπὸ μάλης “unter der Achsel, heimlich’ (att.), danach auch ὑπὸ (τὴν) μάλην (Plb., Luk.), παρὰ τὴν u. (Hippiatr.). — Mit μασχάλη gleichbedeutend und wohl daraus durch volkstümliche Kürzung entstanden ; zur flexivischen Defektivität Schwyzer 584. — [Frisk, s.v. μάλη, p. 1139]

4. μάλη · malē — LSJ

arm-pit, under the arm

arm-pit, almost confined to the phrase ὑπὸ μάλης under the arm (cf. Ruf. Onom. 76), esp. as the place for carrying concealed weapons, ξιφίδια ὑπὸ μ. ἔχοντας X. HG 2.3.23; λαβὼν ὑπὸ μ. ἐγχειρίδιον Pl. Grg. 469d, cf. Ptol.Euerg. 3 J.; δόρυ δῆθʼ ὑπὸ μ. ἥκεις ἔχων; Ar. Lys. 985: Com., λαγύνιον ἔχων ὑπὸ μ. Diph. 3.3; also, of fighting-quails, ὑπὸ μ. λαβεῖν Pl. Lg. 789c; κρύπτειν ὑπὸ μ. Luc. Ind. 23 (but ὑπὸ μάλην ἔχειν Gall. 14); ὑπὸ τὴν μ. πατάξας Plb. Fr. 202; παρὰ τὴν μ. ἢ ὑπὸ ζώνην, of a horse, H

2 underhand, secretly

underhand, secretly, οὐδʼ ὑπὸ μ. ἡ πρόκλησις γέγονεν, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ D. 29.12, cf. D.C. 46.23.

In the wild

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. μάλη (scan p. 948; entry #3888).
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. μάλη (scan p. 688; entry #5103).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. μάλη (scan p. 1139; entry #3705).

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