ἀμαλός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain. Mostly connected with ἀμαλδύνω (amaldúnō, “to weaken”), but this is just a guess. One further connects ἀμβλύς (amblús, “blunt, dulled; dim”), but this, too, is doubtful. Furnée connects it with ἁπαλός (hapalós, “soft, tender”), with the Pre-Greek interchange labial μ/π; this is possible, but remains uncertain.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ma.lós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.maˈlos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.maˈlos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.maˈlos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.maˈlos/

Adjective

ἀμᾰλός • (amălós) m (feminine ἀμᾰλή, neuter ἀμᾰλόν); first/second declension

(of young animals) soft, tender, weak

Inflection

First and second declension of ἀμᾰλός; ἀμᾰλή; ἀμᾰλόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἀμᾰλός amălós	ἀμᾰλή amălḗ	ἀμᾰλόν amălón	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλᾱ́ amălā́	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλοί amăloí	ἀμᾰλαί amălaí	ἀμᾰλᾰ́ amălắ
Genitive	ἀμᾰλοῦ amăloû	ἀμᾰλῆς amălês	ἀμᾰλοῦ amăloû	ἀμᾰλοῖν amăloîn	ἀμᾰλαῖν amălaîn	ἀμᾰλοῖν amăloîn	ἀμᾰλῶν amălôn	ἀμᾰλῶν amălôn	ἀμᾰλῶν amălôn
Dative	ἀμᾰλῷ amălôi	ἀμᾰλῇ amălêi	ἀμᾰλῷ amălôi	ἀμᾰλοῖν amăloîn	ἀμᾰλαῖν amălaîn	ἀμᾰλοῖν amăloîn	ἀμᾰλοῖς amăloîs	ἀμᾰλαῖς amălaîs	ἀμᾰλοῖς amăloîs
Accusative	ἀμᾰλόν amălón	ἀμᾰλήν amălḗn	ἀμᾰλόν amălón	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλᾱ́ amălā́	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλούς amăloús	ἀμᾰλᾱ́ς amălā́s	ἀμᾰλᾰ́ amălắ
Vocative	ἀμᾰλέ amălé	ἀμᾰλή amălḗ	ἀμᾰλόν amălón	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλᾱ́ amălā́	ἀμᾰλώ amălṓ	ἀμᾰλοί amăloí	ἀμᾰλαί amălaí	ἀμᾰλᾰ́ amălắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἀμᾰλῶς amălôs			ἀμᾰλώτερος amălṓteros			ἀμᾰλώτᾰτος amălṓtătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

“ἀμαλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἀμαλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἀμαλός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἀμαλός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀμαλός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἀμαλός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
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