ἀμφίσβαινα

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ᾰ̓μφῐ́ς (amphís, “on both sides”) +‎ βαίνω (baínō, “I go”) +‎ -ᾰ (-a).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /am.pʰíz.bai̯.na/ → /amˈɸiz.βɛ.na/ → /amˈfiz.ve.na/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /am.pʰíz.bai̯.na/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /amˈpʰiz.bɛ.na/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /amˈɸiz.βɛ.na/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /amˈfiz.ve.na/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /amˈfiz.ve.na/

Noun

ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαινᾰ • (amphísbaina) f (genitive ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνης); first declension

1. a kind of serpent which can go backwards or forwards
2. veins which run between the breast and generative organs

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαινᾰ; τῆς ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαινᾰ hē amphísbaina	τὼ ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνᾱ tṑ amphisbaínā	αἱ ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαιναι hai amphísbainai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνης tês amphisbaínēs	τοῖν ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίναιν toîn amphisbaínain	τῶν ᾰ̓μφῐσβαινῶν tôn amphisbainôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνῃ têi amphisbaínēi	τοῖν ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίναιν toîn amphisbaínain	ταῖς ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίναις taîs amphisbaínais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαινᾰν tḕn amphísbainan	τὼ ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνᾱ tṑ amphisbaínā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνᾱς tā̀s amphisbaínās
Vocative	ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαινᾰ amphísbaina	ᾰ̓μφῐσβαίνᾱ amphisbaínā	ᾰ̓μφῐ́σβαιναι amphísbainai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: amphisbaena (see there for further descendants)

References

• “ἀμφίσβαινα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀμφίσβαινα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀμφίσβαινα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀμφίσβαινα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• ἀμφίσβαινα in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften