ἄμβιξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The suffix is no doubt a substrate element, as it is in κύλιξ (kúlix). It is often connected with ἄμβη (ámbē, “raised edge”) and ἄμβων (ámbōn, “crest of a hill”), but this remains uncertain. Derivation from ἀναβαίνω (anabaínō, “to mount”) seems most improbable. Ultimately, the origin of the word is still uncertain.

Pronunciation

 

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

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

Noun

ἄμβῑξ • (ámbīx) m (genitive ἄμβῑκος); third declension

1. spouted cup
2. alembic, still

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ἄμβῑξ; τοῦ ἄμβῑκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἄμβῑξ ho ámbīx	τὼ ἄμβῑκε tṑ ámbīke	οἱ ἄμβῑκες hoi ámbīkes
Genitive	τοῦ ἄμβῑκος toû ámbīkos	τοῖν ἀμβῑ́κοιν toîn ambī́koin	τῶν ἀμβῑ́κων tôn ambī́kōn
Dative	τῷ ἄμβῑκῐ tôi ámbīki	τοῖν ἀμβῑ́κοιν toîn ambī́koin	τοῖς ἄμβῑξῐ / ἄμβῑξῐν toîs ámbīxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ἄμβῑκᾰ tòn ámbīka	τὼ ἄμβῑκε tṑ ámbīke	τοὺς ἄμβῑκᾰς toùs ámbīkas
Vocative	ἄμβῑξ ámbīx	ἄμβῑκε ámbīke	ἄμβῑκες ámbīkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άμβικας (ámvikas)
• → Arabic: إِنْبِيق (ʔinbīq) (see there for further descendants)
• → Classical Syriac: ܐܡܒܝܩܐ (ʾambīqā), ܐܡܒܝܩܘܣ (ʾambīqos), ܐܢܒܝܩܐ (ʾinbīqā), ܝܢܒܝܩܐ (yinbīqā)
• → English: ambix

Further reading

• “ἄμβιξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἄμβιξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄμβιξ 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