ἀλίβας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The ancient explanation as "sapless", with ἀ- (a-, without) +‎ λιβάς (libás, “spring, fount, source”) is based on popular etymology. Kretschmer connected it with Etruscan 𐌋𐌖𐌐𐌖 (lupu, “(he) died”) and Latin Libitina, which is possible but uncertain. The deviant shape of the word, as well as forms like ὀκρίβας (okríbas), κιλλίβας (killíbas), λυκάβας (lukábas) and Κορύβαντες (Korúbantes), clearly point to a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lí.baːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈli.bas/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈli.βas/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈli.vas/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈli.vas/

Noun

ἀλῐ́βᾱς • (alíbās) m (genitive ἀλῐ́βᾰντος); third declension

corpse, dead body
(of the Styx) dead river
(figuratively) dead wine, vinegar
Synonym: ὄξος (óxos)

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ἀλῐ́βᾱς; τοῦ ἀλῐ́βᾰντος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀλῐ́βᾱς ho alíbās	τὼ ἀλῐ́βᾰντε tṑ alíbante	οἱ ἀλῐ́βᾰντες hoi alíbantes
Genitive	τοῦ ἀλῐ́βᾰντος toû alíbantos	τοῖν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντοιν toîn alibántoin	τῶν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντων tôn alibántōn
Dative	τῷ ἀλῐ́βᾰντῐ tôi alíbanti	τοῖν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντοιν toîn alibántoin	τοῖς ἀλῐ́βᾱσῐ / ἀλῐ́βᾱσῐν toîs alíbāsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ἀλῐ́βᾰντᾰ tòn alíbanta	τὼ ἀλῐ́βᾰντε tṑ alíbante	τοὺς ἀλῐ́βᾰντᾰς toùs alíbantas
Vocative	ἀλῐ́βᾰν alíban	ἀλῐ́βᾰντε alíbante	ἀλῐ́βᾰντες alíbantes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

“ἀλίβας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἀλίβας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀλίβας in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
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