ἄμμος

See also: άμμος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ᾰ̔́μμος (hắmmos)

Etymology

Traditionally considered a contamination of ἄμαθος (ámathos, “sand”) and ψάμμος (psámmos, “sand”). Even if not, likely a loan from some European substrate; said substrate status makes phonetic analysis such as the contamination theory above difficult, as the word likely does not follow traditional Indo-European sound laws.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ám.mos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈam.mos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈam.mos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈam.mos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mos/

Noun

ᾰ̓́μμος • (ắmmos) f (genitive ᾰ̓́μμου); second declension

sand
- 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 110A:
  σήραγγες δὲ καὶ ἄμμος καὶ πηλὸς ἀμήχανος καὶ βόρβοροί εἰσιν
  sḗranges dè kaì ámmos kaì pēlòs amḗkhanos kaì bórboroí eisin
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
sandy ground, a racecourse
- 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 3.3.6:
  ἐάν που κινδυνεύειν δέῃ, πότερον ἐπάγειν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον κελεύσεις
  eán pou kinduneúein déēi, póteron epágein toùs polemíous epì tḕn ámmon keleúseis
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Inflection

Second declension of ἡ ᾰ̓́μμος; τῆς ᾰ̓́μμου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̓́μμος hē ắmmos	τὼ ᾰ̓́μμω tṑ ắmmō	αἱ ᾰ̓́μμοι hai ắmmoi
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̓́μμου tês ắmmou	τοῖν ᾰ̓́μμοιν toîn ắmmoin	τῶν ᾰ̓́μμων tôn ắmmōn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̓́μμῳ têi ắmmōi	τοῖν ᾰ̓́μμοιν toîn ắmmoin	ταῖς ᾰ̓́μμοις taîs ắmmois
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̓́μμον tḕn ắmmon	τὼ ᾰ̓́μμω tṑ ắmmō	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̓́μμους tā̀s ắmmous
Vocative	ᾰ̓́μμε ắmme	ᾰ̓́μμω ắmmō	ᾰ̓́μμοι ắmmoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

ψάμμος (psámmos, “sand”)

Descendants

Greek: άμμος

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄμμος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 89