ἄμη

See also: ἁμῆ, ἁμῇ, ἄμῃ, and ἅμη

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ᾰ̓́με (áme), ᾰ̔́μη (hámē)

Etymology

The etymology continues to be debated. Hypotheses include:

• Formally cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀔 (a-ma, “harvest”) via Proto-Hellenic *amā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mh₁-eh₂, from the root *h₂meh₁- (“to mow, reap, harvest”); compare e.g. ἄμητος (ámētos, “harvest”), Hittite 𒄩𒈨𒌍𒄩 (ḫa-meš-ḫa- /⁠ḫamešḫa-⁠/, “spring”). According to Kloekhorst, the verb ἀμάω (amáō, “to cut down, mow, reap”) is probably derived from ἄμη.
• From the PIE root *semH- (“to scoop up, pour”), whence Lithuanian sémti (“to scoop”), sámtis (“ladle”) and Latin sentīna (“bilge water”).
• Related to other Indo-European words for “vessel” and “to pour”: ἀμίς (amís, “chamber-pot”), Sanskrit अमत (ámatra, “a large drinking vessel”), Old Armenian ամամ (amam, “to fill, pour”) (whence աման (aman, “vase, vessel, sack”)); from an uncertain root *am- (“to fill”).
• Related to or derived from the verb ἀμάομαι (amáomai, “I draw (milk), gather”). (This is not necessarily mutually exclusive with above proposals.)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.mɛː/ → /ˈa.mi/ → /ˈa.mi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.mɛː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.me̝/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mi/

Noun

ᾰ̓́μη • (ámē) f (genitive ᾰ̓́μης); first declension

1. a shovel
2. a water-bucket, a pail
3. a spade
4. Ionic form of ἄμης (ámēs)
5. a hobble for young goats

Declension

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̓́μη; τῆς ᾰ̓́μης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓́μη hē ámē	τὼ ᾰ̓́μᾱ tṑ ámā	αἱ ᾰ̓́μαι hai ámai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓́μης tês ámēs	τοῖν ᾰ̓́μαιν toîn ámain	τῶν ᾰ̓μῶν tôn amôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓́μῃ têi ámēi	τοῖν ᾰ̓́μαιν toîn ámain	ταῖς ᾰ̓́μαις taîs ámais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓́μην tḕn ámēn	τὼ ᾰ̓́μᾱ tṑ ámā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓́μᾱς tā̀s ámās
Vocative	ᾰ̓́μη ámē	ᾰ̓́μᾱ ámā	ᾰ̓́μαι ámai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀμίς (amís)
• ἄμαις καὶ σκάφαις ἀρύω (ámais kaì skáphais arúō, proverb)

Descendants

• → Latin: hama, ama (Classical Latin); amās, amō, ayma, haima (Medieval Latin)
  • → Middle Dutch: ame, aem
    • Dutch: aam
      • → English: aam
      • → Russian: аа́м (aám)
      • →? Old Swedish: aam
        • → Finnish: aami
  • → Middle Low German: ame, am
    • → Estonian: aam

See also

• ἀμάω (amáō, “to reap, mow”)

References

• “ἄμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἄμη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• ἄμη 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
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • scoop idem, page 740.
  • shovel idem, page 769.