ἀμέθυστος

See also: αμέθυστος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἀ- (a-, “not”) +‎ μέθῠστος (méthustos, “drunken”), from μεθῠ́ω (methúō, “to be drunk on wine”), from μέθῠ (méthu, “wine”). Compare to εὐμέθῠστος (euméthustos, “easily made drunk”).^[1]

The exact semantic development of the "stone" sense is uncertain. Beekes believes that the stone was named after the light color of diluted wine (that is, "non-drunk wine"),^[1] while others have proposed that the Greeks believed that the amethyst prevented intoxication.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.mé.tʰys.tos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈme.tʰys.tos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈme.θys.tos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈme.θys.tos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈme.θis.tos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓μέθῠστος • (améthustos) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓μέθῠστον); second declension

(passive sense) not drunken, without drunkenness, sober
Synonym: νηφάλιος (nēphálios)
(active sense) not intoxicating

Declension

Second declension of ᾰ̓μέθῠστος; ᾰ̓μέθῠστον (Attic)

Number	Singular		Dual		Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ᾰ̓μέθῠστος améthustos	ᾰ̓μέθῠστον améthuston	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μέθῠστοι améthustoi	ᾰ̓μέθῠστᾰ améthusta
Genitive	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στου amethústou	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στου amethústou	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν amethústoin	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν amethústoin	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στων amethústōn	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στων amethústōn
Dative	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στῳ amethústōi	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στῳ amethústōi	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν amethústoin	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν amethústoin	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοις amethústois	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοις amethústois
Accusative	ᾰ̓μέθῠστον améthuston	ᾰ̓μέθῠστον améthuston	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στους amethústous	ᾰ̓μέθῠστᾰ améthusta
Vocative	ᾰ̓μέθῠστε améthuste	ᾰ̓μέθῠστον améthuston	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μέθῠστοι améthustoi	ᾰ̓μέθῠστᾰ améthusta
Derived forms	Adverb		Comparative		Superlative
Derived forms	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στως amethústōs		ᾰ̓μεθῠστότερος amethustóteros		ᾰ̓μεθῠστότᾰτος amethustótatos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἀμέθῠστον (améthuston)

Noun

ᾰ̓μέθῠστος • (améthustos) f (genitive ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στου); second declension

Usage notes

The senses of an herb or an amethyst represent a narrowing of the earliest meaning, a remedy for drunkenness, because of both the herb's and amethysts' perceived ability to prevent or cure drunkenness.

Declension

Second declension of ἡ ᾰ̓μέθῠστος; τῆς ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓μέθῠστος hē améthustos	τὼ ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω tṑ amethústō	αἱ ᾰ̓μέθῠστοι hai améthustoi
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στου tês amethústou	τοῖν ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν toîn amethústoin	τῶν ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στων tôn amethústōn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στῳ têi amethústōi	τοῖν ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοιν toîn amethústoin	ταῖς ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στοις taîs amethústois
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓μέθῠστον tḕn améthuston	τὼ ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω tṑ amethústō	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στους tā̀s amethústous
Vocative	ᾰ̓μέθῠστε améthuste	ᾰ̓μεθῠ́στω amethústō	ᾰ̓μέθῠστοι améthustoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

(remedy for drunkenness): ἀμέθῠστον (améthuston)
(an herb): σέλινον ἄγριον (sélinon ágrion), βατράχιον (batrákhion), σμύρνιον (smúrnion), ἐλεοσέλινον (eleosélinon)
(amethyst): ἀμέθῠστον (améthuston)

Derived terms

ἀμέθῠσον (améthuson)
ἀμεθῠ́στῐνος (amethústinos)
ἀμεθῠστῐ́ζων (amethustízōn)

Descendants

Greek: αμέθυστος (améthystos)
→ Latin: amethystus (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Georgian: ამეთჳსტონი (ametwisṭoni), ამეთჳსტოჲ (ametwisṭoy), ამეთჳსოჲ (ametwisoy), ამეთისოჲ (ametisoy)
- → Georgian: ამეთვისტო (ametvisṭo) (learned)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀμέθυστος, -ον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 85

ἀμέθυστος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Derived terms

Noun

Usage notes

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading

Wikious

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