Editing Anax (section)

=== Etymology ===
The word ''anax'' derives from the stem ''wanakt-'' (nominative {{lang|grc|*ϝάνακτς}}, genitive {{lang|grc|ϝάνακτος}}), and appears in [[Mycenaean Greek]] written in [[Linear B]] script as {{lang|gmy|{{script|Linb|𐀷𐀙𐀏}}}}, ''{{lang|gmy-Latn|wa-na-ka}}'',<ref name=":7" /> and in the feminine form as {{lang|gmy|{{script|Linb|𐀷𐀙𐀭}}}}, ''{{lang|gmy-Latn|wa-na-sa}}''<ref>{{cite web|title=The Linear B word wa-na-sa|url=http://www.palaeolexicon.com/default.aspx?static=12&wid=798|website=Palaeolexicon. Word study tool of ancient languages}}</ref> (later {{lang|grc|ἄνασσα}}, ''ánassa''). The [[digamma]] {{lang|grc|ϝ}} was pronounced {{IPAc-en|w}} and was dropped very early on, even before the adoption of the [[Phoenician alphabet]], by [[Ancient Greek dialects|eastern Greek dialects]] (e.g. [[Ionic Greek]]); other dialects retained the digamma until well after the classical era.

The Greek title has been compared{{by whom|date=October 2018}} to [[Sanskrit]] ''{{IAST|vanij}}'', a word for "merchant", but in the [[Rigveda]] once used as a title of [[Indra]] in Rig Veda 5.45.6. The word could then be from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *''{{PIE|wen-aǵ-}}'', roughly "bringer of spoils" (compare the etymology of [[Lord#Etymology|lord]], "bread guardian"). However, [[Robert S. P. Beekes|Robert Beekes]] argues there is no convincing IE etymology and the term is probably from the [[pre-Greek substrate]].