ψάμαθος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Usually taken as a cross of ψάμμος (psámmos, “sand”) and ἄμαθος (ámathos, “sand”). Furnée adduces Proto-Germanic *samdaz (“sand”), so it could also directly continue a word from Proto-Indo-European *sámh₂dʰos (“sand”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /psá.ma.tʰos/ → /ˈpsa.ma.θos/ → /ˈpsa.ma.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /psá.ma.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpsa.ma.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsa.ma.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpsa.ma.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpsa.ma.θos/

Noun

ψάμᾰθος • (psámăthos) f (genitive ψᾰμάθου); second declension

1. sand of the seashore
2. (in the plural) grains of sand
3. countless multitude

Inflection

Second declension of ἡ ψᾰ́μᾰθος; τῆς ψᾰμᾰ́θου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ψᾰ́μᾰθος hē psắmăthos	τὼ ψᾰμᾰ́θω tṑ psămắthō	αἱ ψᾰ́μᾰθοι hai psắmăthoi
Genitive	τῆς ψᾰμᾰ́θου tês psămắthou	τοῖν ψᾰμᾰ́θοιν toîn psămắthoin	τῶν ψᾰμᾰ́θων tôn psămắthōn
Dative	τῇ ψᾰμᾰ́θῳ têi psămắthōi	τοῖν ψᾰμᾰ́θοιν toîn psămắthoin	ταῖς ψᾰμᾰ́θοις taîs psămắthois
Accusative	τὴν ψᾰ́μᾰθον tḕn psắmăthon	τὼ ψᾰμᾰ́θω tṑ psămắthō	τᾱ̀ς ψᾰμᾰ́θους tā̀s psămắthous
Vocative	ψᾰ́μᾰθε psắmăthe	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psămắthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psắmăthoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ψᾰ́μᾰθος; ψᾰμᾰ́θου (Epic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ψᾰ́μᾰθος psắmăthos	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psămắthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psắmăthoi
Genitive	ψᾰμᾰ́θου / ψᾰμᾰθοῖο / ψᾰμᾰ́θοιο / ψᾰμᾰθόο / ψᾰμᾰ́θοο psămắthou / psămăthoîo / psămắthoio / psămăthóo / psămắthoo	ψᾰμᾰ́θοιῐν psămắthoiĭn	ψᾰμᾰ́θων psămắthōn
Dative	ψᾰμᾰ́θῳ psămắthōi	ψᾰμᾰ́θοιῐν psămắthoiĭn	ψᾰμᾰ́θοισῐ / ψᾰμᾰ́θοισῐν / ψᾰμᾰ́θοις psămắthoisĭ(n) / psămắthois
Accusative	ψᾰ́μᾰθον psắmăthon	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psămắthō	ψᾰμᾰ́θους psămắthous
Vocative	ψᾰ́μᾰθε psắmăthe	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psămắthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psắmăthoi
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• πολυψάμαθος (polupsámathos)
• ψαμαθηΐς (psamathēḯs)
• ψαμαθία (psamathía)
• ψαμαθίς (psamathís)
• Ψαμαθοῦς (Psamathoûs)
• ψαμαθώδης (psamathṓdēs)

Related terms

• εὐψάμαθος (eupsámathos)

Further reading

• “ψάμαθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ψάμαθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• 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