ἴαμβος

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Ancient Greek

Etymology

Probably of Pre-Greek substrate (Illyrian/Phrygian) origin;[1][2][3] the OED suggests a derivation from ἰάπτω (iáptō, to assail, attack verbally), literally "send forth", cognate with ἵημι (híēmi, I throw, hurl), as iambic verse was first used by satirists,[4] but this could just be folk etymology. Compare also similar words, like διθύραμβος (dithúrambos), θρίαμβος (thríambos) and ἴθυμβος (íthumbos).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

ῐ̓́ᾰμβος (íambosm (genitive ῐ̓ᾰ́μβου); second declension

  1. iamb, a metrical foot
  2. iambic verse or poem
  3. (mostly in plural) lampoon
  4. kind of extempore play got up by buffoons

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Latin: iambus (see there for further descendants)

References

  1. ^ Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN
  2. ^ iamb”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

Further reading