καμασήν
Ancient Greek
Etymology
Given the fish name ἠλακατήν (ēlakatḗn, “kind of tunny”), which derives from ἠλακάτη (ēlakátē, “distaff, spindle”), one would posit a basic word *κάμασος, with suffixal -ασος like in πέτασος (pétasos, “broad-brimmed hat”). It has been connected with Balto-Slavic words for the "sheatfish", such as Lithuanian šāmas, Latvian sams and Russian сом (som). Further connected with κάμαξ (kámax, “pole, bar”) by Solmsen. Probably a loan from the European substrate. Furnée connects it with κάβαισος (kábaisos, “glutton, gourmand”) and καμασός (kamasós, “gulf, pit”), but without evidence.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ka.ma.sɛ̌ːn/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /ka.maˈse̝n/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /ka.maˈsin/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ka.maˈsin/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ka.maˈsin/
Noun
κᾰμᾰσήν • (kămăsḗn) m (genitive κᾰμᾰσῆνος); third declension
- name of an unknown kind of fish
Declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ὁ κᾰμᾰσήν ho kămăsḗn |
τὼ κᾰμᾰσῆνε tṑ kămăsêne |
οἱ κᾰμᾰσῆνες hoi kămăsênes | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ κᾰμᾰσῆνος toû kămăsênos |
τοῖν κᾰμᾰσήνοιν toîn kămăsḗnoin |
τῶν κᾰμᾰσήνων tôn kămăsḗnōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ κᾰμᾰσῆνῐ tōî kămăsênĭ |
τοῖν κᾰμᾰσήνοιν toîn kămăsḗnoin |
τοῖς κᾰμᾰσῆσῐ / κᾰμᾰσῆσῐν toîs kămăsêsĭ(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸν κᾰμᾰσῆνᾰ tòn kămăsênă |
τὼ κᾰμᾰσῆνε tṑ kămăsêne |
τοὺς κᾰμᾰσῆνᾰς toùs kămăsênăs | ||||||||||
| Vocative | κᾰμᾰσήν kămăsḗn |
κᾰμᾰσῆνε kămăsêne |
κᾰμᾰσῆνες kămăsênes | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
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Further reading
- “καμασῆνες”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- καμασήν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- 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