Ancient Greek

Noun

ἴυγξ • ‎(íunx) f ‎(genitive ἴυγγος); third declension

1. Eurasian wryneck, Jynx torquilla
   • Aristotle, History of Animals 2.12.4
   • Aristotle, Parts of Animals 4.12.35
   • Claudius Aelianus, On the Nature of Animals 6.19
   • Xenophon, Memorabilia 3.11.17
   1. (figuratively) spell, charm
      • Aristophanes, Lysistrata 1110
   2. passionate yearning
      • Aeschylus, The Persians 989

Inflection

Usage notes

• The ancient wizards and witches used to bind it to a wheel, which they turned round, believing that they drew men’s hearts along with it and charmed them to obedience; hence it was much used to recover unfaithful lovers. This operation was called ἕλκειν ἴυγγα ἐπί τινι ‎(hélkein íunga epí tini, “to set the magic bird against someone”).

Descendants

• Latin: iynx

References

• ἴυγξ in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἴυγξ in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• «ἴυγξ» in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette