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 Medieval) 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)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ὁ ἄμβῑξho ámbīx	τὼ ἄμβῑκεtṑ ámbīke	οἱ ἄμβῑκεςhoi ámbīkes
genitive	τοῦ ἄμβῑκοςtoû ámbīkos	τοῖν ἀμβῑ́κοινtoîn ambī́koin	τῶν ἀμβῑ́κωνtôn ambī́kōn
dative	τῷ ἄμβῑκῐtōî ámbīkĭ	τοῖν ἀμβῑ́κοινtoîn ambī́koin	τοῖς ἄμβῑξῐ / ἄμβῑξῐνtoîs ámbīxĭ(n)
accusative	τὸν ἄμβῑκᾰtòn ámbīkă	τὼ ἄμβῑκεtṑ ámbīke	τοὺς ἄμβῑκᾰςtoùs ámbīkăs
vocative	ἄμβῑξámbīx	ἄμβῑκεámbīke	ἄμβῑκεςámbīkes

• 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 (2006–2026)
• 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