ὄμφαξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

It could derive from *h₃nebʰ- (“navel”), but the semantic explanation as a navel-like knob is hardly convincing. Furnée connects ἀμφίας (amphías, “bad Sicilian wine”) and ἀμφής (amphḗs, “wine blossom”). The variation, as well as the suffix -αξ, would point to Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /óm.pʰaks/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈom.pʰaks/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈom.ɸaks/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈom.faks/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈom.faks/

Noun

ὄμφᾰξ • (ómphăx) f (genitive ὄμφᾰκος); third declension

unripe grape, also of olives
young girl, not yet ripe for marriage
unripe hard breast of a young girl
kind of gem, used for seals

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ ὄμφᾰξ; τῆς ὄμφᾰκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ὄμφᾰξ hē ómphăx	τὼ ὄμφᾰκε tṑ ómphăke	αἱ ὄμφᾰκες hai ómphăkes
Genitive	τῆς ὄμφᾰκος tês ómphăkos	τοῖν ὀμφᾰ́κοιν toîn omphắkoin	τῶν ὀμφᾰ́κων tôn omphắkōn
Dative	τῇ ὄμφᾰκῐ têi ómphăkĭ	τοῖν ὀμφᾰ́κοιν toîn omphắkoin	ταῖς ὄμφᾰξῐ / ὄμφᾰξῐν taîs ómphăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν ὄμφᾰκᾰ tḕn ómphăkă	τὼ ὄμφᾰκε tṑ ómphăke	τᾱ̀ς ὄμφᾰκᾰς tā̀s ómphăkăs
Vocative	ὄμφᾰξ ómphăx	ὄμφᾰκε ómphăke	ὄμφᾰκες ómphăkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ὀμφακηρός (omphakērós)
ὀμφακίας (omphakías)
ὀμφακίζω (omphakízō)
ὀμφάκινον (omphákinon)
ὀμφάκινος (omphákinos)
ὀμφάκιον (omphákion)
ὀμφάκιος (omphákios)
ὀμφακίς (omphakís)
ὀμφακισμός (omphakismós)
ὀμφακίτης (omphakítēs)
ὀμφακόκαρπος (omphakókarpos)
ὀμφακόμελι (omphakómeli)
ὀμφακομελίτης (omphakomelítēs)
ὀμφακοράξ (omphakoráx)
ὀμφακώδης (omphakṓdēs)

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