βρίμη

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Probably based on βρι- in βριαρός (briarós, “strong”) and βρίθω (bríthō, “to be heavy or weighed down with”). As these words are rare, their meanings are not quite clear. The assumption that the original meaning was "heaviness, vehemence, energy" is partly based on the wrong etymological connection with βαρύς (barús, “heavy”). Pre-Greek origin is proven by Furnée, who connects the word with φριμάσσομαι (phrimássomai, “to snort and leap”), the whole group of βρι- and with ὄβριμος (óbrimos, “strong, mighty”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /brǐː.mɛː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbri.me̝/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβri.mi/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈvri.mi/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈvri.mi/

Noun

βρῑ́μη • (brī́mē) f (genitive βρῑ́μης); first declension

strength, might, power
Synonym: ῥώμη (rhṓmē)
bellowing, roaring
threat, menace
Synonym: ἀπειλή (apeilḗ)
womanly vice

Inflection

First declension of ἡ βρῑ́μη; τῆς βρῑ́μης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ βρῑ́μη hē brī́mē	τὼ βρῑ́μᾱ tṑ brī́mā	αἱ βρῖμαι hai brîmai
Genitive	τῆς βρῑ́μης tês brī́mēs	τοῖν βρῑ́μαιν toîn brī́main	τῶν βρῑμῶν tôn brīmôn
Dative	τῇ βρῑ́μῃ têi brī́mēi	τοῖν βρῑ́μαιν toîn brī́main	ταῖς βρῑ́μαις taîs brī́mais
Accusative	τὴν βρῑ́μην tḕn brī́mēn	τὼ βρῑ́μᾱ tṑ brī́mā	τᾱ̀ς βρῑ́μᾱς tā̀s brī́mās
Vocative	βρῑ́μη brī́mē	βρῑ́μᾱ brī́mā	βρῖμαι brîmai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

βρῑμᾰ́ζω (brīmắzō)
βρῑμαίνω (brīmaínō)
βρῑμᾰ́ομαι (brīmắomai)
βρῑ́μημᾰ (brī́mēmă)
βρῑμόβρῠχος (brīmóbrŭkhos)
Βρῑμώ (Brīmṓ)
βρῑμώδης (brīmṓdēs)
βρῑ́μωσῐς (brī́mōsĭs)

“βρίμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“βρίμη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
βρίμη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
βρίμη in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
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