ἀλίβας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

The ancient explanation as "sapless", with ἀ- (a-, without) +‎ λιβάς (libás, “spring, fount, source”) is based on popular etymology. Kretschmer connected it with Etruscan 𐌋𐌖𐌐𐌖 (lupu, “(he) died”) and Latin Libitina, which is possible but uncertain. The deviant shape of the word, as well as forms like ὀκρίβας (okríbas), κιλλίβας (killíbas), λυκάβας (lukábas) and Κορύβαντες (Korúbantes), clearly point to a Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.lí.baːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈli.bas/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈli.βas/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈli.vas/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈli.vas/

Noun

ἀλῐ́βᾱς • (alĭ́bās) m (genitive ἀλῐ́βᾰντος); third declension

corpse, dead body
(of the Styx) dead river
(figuratively) dead wine, vinegar
Synonym: ὄξος (óxos)

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ἀλῐ́βᾱς; τοῦ ἀλῐ́βᾰντος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ἀλῐ́βᾱς ho alĭ́bās	τὼ ἀλῐ́βᾰντε tṑ alĭ́bănte	οἱ ἀλῐ́βᾰντες hoi alĭ́băntes
Genitive	τοῦ ἀλῐ́βᾰντος toû alĭ́băntos	τοῖν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντοιν toîn alĭbắntoin	τῶν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντων tôn alĭbắntōn
Dative	τῷ ἀλῐ́βᾰντῐ tōî alĭ́băntĭ	τοῖν ἀλῐβᾰ́ντοιν toîn alĭbắntoin	τοῖς ἀλῐ́βᾱσῐ / ἀλῐ́βᾱσῐν toîs alĭ́bāsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ἀλῐ́βᾰντᾰ tòn alĭ́băntă	τὼ ἀλῐ́βᾰντε tṑ alĭ́bănte	τοὺς ἀλῐ́βᾰντᾰς toùs alĭ́băntăs
Vocative	ἀλῐ́βᾰν alĭ́băn	ἀλῐ́βᾰντε alĭ́bănte	ἀλῐ́βᾰντες alĭ́băntes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

“ἀλίβας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἀλίβας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀλίβας in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
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