Dennis in Cincinnatuh wrote: " To my ear "ak ih MAY neez" sounds way more scientific than "uh CHIM ih neez". Although Mary Poppins might prefer the latter.... Not only Mary Poppins but also tradition. There seems to be uncertainty about the etymology of the word, but the pronunciation with the stress on the chi is the one which has been given in reliable sources for a long time. BTW, modern Greek is not your friend when it comes to figuring out the pronunciation of words derived from classical Greek. Jim McKenney