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 • (psámathos) 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 psámathos	τὼ ψᾰμᾰ́θω tṑ psamáthō	αἱ ψᾰ́μᾰθοι hai psámathoi
Genitive	τῆς ψᾰμᾰ́θου tês psamáthou	τοῖν ψᾰμᾰ́θοιν toîn psamáthoin	τῶν ψᾰμᾰ́θων tôn psamáthōn
Dative	τῇ ψᾰμᾰ́θῳ têi psamáthōi	τοῖν ψᾰμᾰ́θοιν toîn psamáthoin	ταῖς ψᾰμᾰ́θοις taîs psamáthois
Accusative	τὴν ψᾰ́μᾰθον tḕn psámathon	τὼ ψᾰμᾰ́θω tṑ psamáthō	τᾱ̀ς ψᾰμᾰ́θους tā̀s psamáthous
Vocative	ψᾰ́μᾰθε psámathe	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psamáthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psámathoi
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 psámathos	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psamáthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psámathoi
Genitive	ψᾰμᾰ́θου / ψᾰμᾰθοῖο / ψᾰμᾰ́θοιο / ψᾰμᾰθόο / ψᾰμᾰ́θοο psamáthou / psamathoîo / psamáthoio / psamathóo / psamáthoo	ψᾰμᾰ́θοιῐν psamáthoiin	ψᾰμᾰ́θων psamáthōn
Dative	ψᾰμᾰ́θῳ psamáthōi	ψᾰμᾰ́θοιῐν psamáthoiin	ψᾰμᾰ́θοισῐ / ψᾰμᾰ́θοισῐν / ψᾰμᾰ́θοις psamáthoisi(n) / psamáthois
Accusative	ψᾰ́μᾰθον psámathon	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psamáthō	ψᾰμᾰ́θους psamáthous
Vocative	ψᾰ́μᾰθε psámathe	ψᾰμᾰ́θω psamáthō	ψᾰ́μᾰθοι psámathoi
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