ἄμπυξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Formerly considered to be a root noun prefixed with ἀμ-, belonging to πύκα (púka, “solidly”) and πυκνός (puknós, “compact”), and cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬎𐬯𐬁 (pusā, “headband, diadem”). However, the notion "thick, solid" does not seem to fit the objects in question. A word for such objects is easily borrowed and, according to Beekes, it contains a typical Pre-Greek suffix.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ám.pyks/ → /ˈam.pyks/ → /ˈam.biks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ám.pyks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈam.pyks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈam.pyks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈam.pyks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈam.biks/

Noun

ἄμπῠξ • (ámpux) m or f (genitive ἄμπῠκος); third declension

1. woman's diadem, frontlet
2. horse's headband
3. rim of a wheel

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ, ἡ ᾰ̓́μπῠξ; τοῦ, τῆς ᾰ̓́μπῠκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ ᾰ̓́μπῠξ ho, hē ámpux	τὼ ᾰ̓́μπῠκε tṑ ámpuke	οἱ, αἱ ᾰ̓́μπῠκες hoi, hai ámpukes
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς ᾰ̓́μπῠκος toû, tês ámpukos	τοῖν ᾰ̓μπῠ́κοιν toîn ampúkoin	τῶν ᾰ̓μπῠ́κων tôn ampúkōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ ᾰ̓́μπῠκῐ tôi, têi ámpuki	τοῖν ᾰ̓μπῠ́κοιν toîn ampúkoin	τοῖς, ταῖς ᾰ̓́μπῠξῐ / ᾰ̓́μπῠξῐν toîs, taîs ámpuxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν ᾰ̓́μπῠκᾰ tòn, tḕn ámpuka	τὼ ᾰ̓́μπῠκε tṑ ámpuke	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓́μπῠκᾰς toùs, tā̀s ámpukas
Vocative	ᾰ̓́μπῠξ ámpux	ᾰ̓́μπῠκε ámpuke	ᾰ̓́μπῠκες ámpukes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀμπυκάζω (ampukázō)
• ἀμπυκτήρ (ampuktḗr)
• ἀμπυκτήριον (ampuktḗrion)
• ἀμπύκωμα (ampúkōma)
• ἀνάμπυξ (anámpux)
• κυανάμπυξ (kuanámpux)
• λιπαράμπυξ (liparámpux)
• μονάμπυξ (monámpux)
• χρυσάμπυξ (khrusámpux)

 

Descendants

• → English: ampyx

Further reading

• “ἄμπυξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄμπυξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄμπυξ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄμπυξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄμπυξ in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄμπυξ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN