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 kámax	τὼ κάμᾰκε tṑ kámake	αἱ κάμᾰκες hai kámakes
Genitive	τῆς κάμᾰκος tês kámakos	τοῖν καμᾰ́κοιν toîn kamákoin	τῶν καμᾰ́κων tôn kamákōn
Dative	τῇ κάμᾰκῐ têi kámaki	τοῖν καμᾰ́κοιν toîn kamákoin	ταῖς κάμᾰξῐ / κάμᾰξῐν taîs kámaxi(n)
Accusative	τὴν κάμᾰκᾰ tḕn kámaka	τὼ κάμᾰκε tṑ kámake	τᾱ̀ς κάμᾰκᾰς tā̀s kámakas
Vocative	κάμᾰξ kámax	κάμᾰκε kámake	κάμᾰκες kámakes
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