ἔγχελυς

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂engʷʰ- (“water-worm, eel”). Cognate with Latin anguilla (“eel”), Old High German angar (“mealworm, larva, grub”) (Modern German Engerling), Russian у́горь (úgorʹ), Lithuanian ungurỹs.

Influenced by ἔχις (ékhis, “snake”), in a same way Latin anguilla (“eel”) was influenced by anguis (“snake”), but unfortunately no Indo-European form can be reconstructed due to similar changes in other daughter languages, commonly attributed to a taboo. Cognate with Old Prussian angurgis and Albanian ngjalë. Compare Finnish ankerias (a Baltic loan).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

ἔγχελῠς • (énkhelus) f (genitive ἐγχέλῠος); third declension

  1. eel

Inflection

Derived terms

  • Ἐγχέλιοι (Enkhélioi, “Enchelei”)

Descendants

  • Greek: χέλι (chéli) (from diminutive ἐγχέλειον (enkhéleion), through Koine and Byzantine Greek)
  • → Classical Syriac: ܐܢܩܗܠܝܣ, ܐܢܩܠܣܐ, ܐܢܩܠܝܣ

References

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