ἀμβροσία

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἀμβροσίη (ambrosíē) — Epic, Ionic

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /am.bro.sí.aː/ → /am.broˈsi.a/ → /am.broˈsi.a/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /am.bro.sí.aː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /am.broˈsi.a/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /am.broˈsi.a/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /am.broˈsi.a/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /am.broˈsi.a/

Etymology 1

Adjective

ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ • (ambrosíā)

1. inflection of ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios):
   1. feminine nominative/vocative singular
   2. feminine nominative/accusative/vocative dual

Etymology 2

From ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos, “immortal”) +‎ -ῐ́ᾱ (-íā, abstract noun suffix). The τ (t) changed to σ (s) by palatalization. Cognate with Sanskrit अमृत (amṛ́ta, “elixir of life, immortality, food and nectar of the gods”). Also see ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos).

Noun

ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ • (ambrosíā) f (genitive ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱς); first declension

1. ambrosia
2. elixir of life
3. food, perfume, unguent of the gods
4. immortality
5. simulated divine ambrosia used in religious rites
6. name of some medicines
7. a festival of Bacchus

Declension

First declension of ἡ ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ; τῆς ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ hē ambrosíā	τὼ ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ tṑ ambrosíā	αἱ ἀμβροσῐ́αι hai ambrosíai
Genitive	τῆς ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱς tês ambrosíās	τοῖν ἀμβροσῐ́αιν toîn ambrosíain	τῶν ἀμβροσῐῶν tôn ambrosiôn
Dative	τῇ ἀμβροσῐ́ᾳ têi ambrosíāi	τοῖν ἀμβροσῐ́αιν toîn ambrosíain	ταῖς ἀμβροσῐ́αις taîs ambrosíais
Accusative	τὴν ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱν tḕn ambrosíān	τὼ ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ tṑ ambrosíā	τᾱ̀ς ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱς tā̀s ambrosíās
Vocative	ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ ambrosíā	ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱ ambrosíā	ἀμβροσῐ́αι ambrosíai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Greek: αμβροσία f (amvrosía) (learned)
• → Latin: ambrosia
  • → English: ambrosia
• Russian: амбро́зия f (ambrózija)

See also

• νέκταρ (néktar)

Further reading

• “ἀμβροσία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἀμβροσία in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀμβροσία in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἀμβροσία”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • ambrosia idem, page 27.