ἄμι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἄμμῐ (ámmĭ)

Etymology

Hemmerdinger proposes a derivation from Egyptian ꜥmꜣw (“a kind of medicinal plant”),^[1] but, as both the reading and the meaning of that word are uncertain, its status as an etymon is highly questionable.^[2]

Pronunciation

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

Noun

ἄμῐ • (ámĭ) n (genitive ἄμεως); third declension

ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi)
bisnaga (Visnaga daucoides, syn. Ammi visnaga)

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ ᾰ̓́μῐ; τοῦ ᾰ̓́μεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ ᾰ̓́μῐ tò ắmĭ	τὼ ᾰ̓́μει tṑ ắmei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́μη / ᾰ̓́μεᾰ tằ ắmē / ắmeă
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́μεως toû ắmeōs	τοῖν ᾰ̓μέοιν toîn ăméoin	τῶν ᾰ̓́μεων tôn ắmeōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́μει tōî ắmei	τοῖν ᾰ̓μέοιν toîn ăméoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́μεσῐ / ᾰ̓́μεσῐν toîs ắmesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ ᾰ̓́μῐ tò ắmĭ	τὼ ᾰ̓́μει tṑ ắmei	τᾰ̀ ᾰ̓́μη / ᾰ̓́μεᾰ tằ ắmē / ắmeă
Vocative	ᾰ̓́μῐ ắmĭ	ᾰ̓́μει ắmei	ᾰ̓́μη / ᾰ̓́μεᾰ ắmē / ắmeă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: ami
→ Translingual: Ammi

References

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

^ Hemmerdinger, Bertrand (1968) “Noms Communs Grecs d’Origine Egyptienne” in Glotta, vol. 46, issue 3/4, page 247
^ Pierce, Richard Holton (1971) “Egyptian Loan-words in Ancient Greek” in Symbolae Osloenses, fascicle 46, page 100–101

[1] Hemmerdinger, Bertrand (1968) “Noms Communs Grecs d’Origine Egyptienne” in Glotta, vol. 46, issue 3/4, page 247

[2] Pierce, Richard Holton (1971) “Egyptian Loan-words in Ancient Greek” in Symbolae Osloenses, fascicle 46, page 100–101

[1]

[2]