carnyx

English

WOTD – 29 July 2022

Etymology

The serpent-like bell of a carnyx unearthed at Tintignac, Corrèze, France.

A man dressed as a Vacomagi tribe member playing a replica carnyx.

A recording of a reconstruction of a carnyx found at Deskford in Banffshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, being played.

Learned borrowing from Late Latin carnyx, from Byzantine Greek κάρνυξ (kárnux, “carnyx”), from κάρνον (kárnon, “carnyx”) (both translating Galatian words into Greek), from Gaulish carno- (“horn of an animal”) (used in names), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“head, top; horn of an animal”).

Pronunciation

• Singular:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːnɪks/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɹnɪks/
  • Hyphenation: car‧nyx
• Plural (carnyces):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːnɪsiːz/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɹnəˌsiz/
  • Hyphenation: car‧ny‧ces

Noun

carnyx (plural carnyces or carnyxes)

1. (music, historical) A bronze wind instrument used by Iron Age Celts (c. 200 B.C.E. – 200 C.E.) as a type of battle trumpet; held vertically when played, it was shaped like an elongated S with a mouthpiece at the lower end and a bell (often resembling an animal with an open mouth) at the upper end.

Alternative forms

• carnix

Translations

bronze wind instrument used by Iron Age Celts as a type of battle trumpet

• Bulgarian: карникс (karniks)
• Catalan: càrnix
• Czech: karnyx
• Dutch: carnyx
• Finnish: carnyx
• French: carnyx (fr) m, carnix (fr) m
• Galician: carnyx
• German: Carnyx f, Carnix f
• Greek: κάρνυξ (kárnyx)

  Ancient Greek: κᾰ́ρνον n (kárnon)

• Italian: carnyx, carnix
• Latin: carnyx
• Lithuanian: karnyksas
• Macedonian: карникс (karniks)
• Russian: карникс (karniks)
• Spanish: cárnix
• Swedish: carnyx (sv)
• Tamil: காரின்சு (kāriṉcu)
• Ukrainian: ка́рнікс (kárniks)

Further reading

• carnyx on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French carnyx.

Noun

carnyx n (plural carnyxe)

1. carnyx

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	carnyx	carnyxul		carnyxe	carnyxele
genitive-dative	carnyx	carnyxului		carnyxe	carnyxelor
vocative	carnyxule			carnyxelor