λαβύρινθος
Ancient Greek
Etymology
Unknown, but Proto-Hellenic *dabúrintʰos can be reconstructed;[1] likely Pre-Greek (whence Mycenaean Greek 𐀅𐁆𐀪𐀵𐀍 (da-pu2-ri-to-jo)). Possibly from Lydian 𐤩𐤠𐤡𐤭𐤧𐤳 (lapryš, “double-edged axe”), a royal symbol, as λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos) supposedly originally referred to a Minoan palace on Crete.[2] See also λάβρυς (lábrus, “axe”) and λαύρα (laúra, “lane, passage”). The spelling in Linear B suggests an origin in another language, possibly Minoan.
Pronunciation
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /la.bý.rin.tʰos/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /laˈby.rin.tʰos/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /laˈβy.rin.θos/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /laˈvy.rin.θos/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /laˈvi.rin.θos/
Noun
λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος • (lăbŭ́rĭnthos) m (genitive λᾰβῠρῐ́νθου); second declension
- A labyrinth, maze; a large building consisting of numerous halls connected by intricate and tortuous passages.
- Something obscure or inscrutable.
- Any wreathed or coiled up body.
Inflection
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ὁ λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος ho lăbŭ́rĭnthos |
τὼ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω tṑ lăbŭrĭ́nthō |
οἱ λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθοι hoi lăbŭ́rĭnthoi | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθου toû lăbŭrĭ́nthou |
τοῖν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοιν toîn lăbŭrĭ́nthoin |
τῶν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθων tôn lăbŭrĭ́nthōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθῳ tōî lăbŭrĭ́nthōi |
τοῖν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοιν toîn lăbŭrĭ́nthoin |
τοῖς λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοις toîs lăbŭrĭ́nthois | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸν λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθον tòn lăbŭ́rĭnthon |
τὼ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω tṑ lăbŭrĭ́nthō |
τοὺς λᾰβῠρῐ́νθους toùs lăbŭrĭ́nthous | ||||||||||
| Vocative | λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθε lăbŭ́rĭnthe |
λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω lăbŭrĭ́nthō |
λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθοι lăbŭ́rĭnthoi | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||
Descendants
- → Latin: labyrinthus (see there for further descendants)
- → Greek: λαβύρινθος (lavýrinthos)
- → Russian: лабири́нт (labirínt)
References
- ^ 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
- ^ “LABYRINTHUS”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
Further reading
- “λαβύρινθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “λαβύρινθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- λαβύρινθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- λαβύρινθος in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- 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
- λαβύρινθος, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011
Greek
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /laˈvi.ɾin.θos/
Noun
λαβύρινθος • (lavýrinthos) m (plural λαβύρινθοι)
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | λαβύρινθος (lavýrinthos) | λαβύρινθοι (lavýrinthoi) |
| genitive | λαβυρίνθου (lavyrínthou) | λαβυρίνθων (lavyrínthon) |
| accusative | λαβύρινθο (lavýrintho) | λαβυρίνθους (lavyrínthous) |
| vocative | λαβύρινθε (lavýrinthe) | λαβύρινθοι (lavýrinthoi) |