Μυκῆναι
οὗ δ' ἂν Ἔρως μὴ ἐφάψηται, σκοτεινός → he on whom Love has laid no hold is obscure | he whom Love touches not walks in darkness
French (Bailly abrégé)
Russian (Dvoretsky)
Μῠκῆναι: αἱ и Μῠκήνη, дор. Μῠκήνᾱ ἡ Микены (древний город Арголиды, столица Атридов) Hom., Pind. etc.
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: PN
Meaning: town in Argolis.
Other forms: (Arg. -ᾶναι) pl., also sg. Μυκήνη f. (both since Il.).
Derivatives: Μυκηναῖος Mycenaean (Il.), also Μυκανεύς id. (Delphi Va), f. Μυκηνίς (Critias, E.); Μυκηνεύς as PN (Paus.; Bosshardt 105); Μυκήνηθεν from M. (Il.), Μυκανεαθεν (Mycenae VIa). -- Besides Μυκήνη name of a heroine (β 120).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: Formation as Ἀθῆναι and like this prob. Pre-Greek (Fick Vorgr. ON 96 a. 131). As Ἀθῆναι after Ἀθήνη, Μυκῆναι might have been called after the heroine Μυκήνη (Nilsson Gr. Rel. 1, 349). IE etymolog by Grošelj Živa Ant. 7, 227: to μύκων σωρός, θημών (H.) etc. (WP.2, 311, Pok. 752; quite doubtful non-IE combinations by Hubschmid 3me congr. intern. de toponymie [Louvain 1951] II 187) because of the position. Often as "mushroom-place" connected with μύκης (e.g. Solmsen IF 30, 27, Strömberg Pflanzennamen 125 n. 3); against this Krahe Gnomon 17, 472.
