κάμαξ

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 29 August 2022

Etymology

Furnée compares the word with ἀμάκιον (amákion). According to Beekes, the suffix "-ακ-" is highly frequent in Pre-Greek, and he considers the word to derive from such, rejecting traditional connections to Proto-Germanic *hamô (“rod, shaft”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ká.maks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈka.maks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈka.maks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈka.maks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈka.maks/

Noun

κάμαξ • (kámax) f (genitive κάμᾰκος); third declension

vine pole, prop
- 3rd century BCE, Leonidas of Tarentum, chapter 731, in Greek Anthology, Book VII‎^[1]:
  ἄμπελος ὣς ἤδη κάμακι στηρίζομαι αὐτῷ σκηπανίῳ
  ámpelos hṑs ḗdē kámaki stērízomai autôi skēpaníōi
  I am already supported only by a prop like a vine
any pole or shaft
tiller
(in the plural) steering paddles
tent pole
perch for fowls

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ κάμᾰξ; τῆς κάμᾰκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ κάμᾰξ hē kámăx	τὼ κάμᾰκε tṑ kámăke	αἱ κάμᾰκες hai kámăkes
Genitive	τῆς κάμᾰκος tês kámăkos	τοῖν καμᾰ́κοιν toîn kamắkoin	τῶν καμᾰ́κων tôn kamắkōn
Dative	τῇ κάμᾰκῐ têi kámăkĭ	τοῖν καμᾰ́κοιν toîn kamắkoin	ταῖς κάμᾰξῐ / κάμᾰξῐν taîs kámăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν κάμᾰκᾰ tḕn kámăkă	τὼ κάμᾰκε tṑ kámăke	τᾱ̀ς κάμᾰκᾰς tā̀s kámăkăs
Vocative	κάμᾰξ kámăx	κάμᾰκε kámăke	κάμᾰκες kámăkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

καμακίας (kamakías)
καμάκινος (kamákinos)
καμάκιον (kamákion)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κάμαξ, -ακος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 629