ἅμαξα

See also: αμαξά and άμαξα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἄμαξα (ámaxa)

Etymology

Traditionally derived from a compound of ἅμα (háma, “at once”) + the ἄξ- (áx-) in ἄξων (áxōn, “axle”) + -ια (-ia, “nominal suffix”), literally "one-axler". Other theories include a relation to ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, guide”), as well as Tocharian B amäkṣpänte (“wagonmaster”).

Beekes rejects these theories (noting that a "one-axler" formation makes less sense than a "two-axler" formation) and considers the word Pre-Greek, based on a variant ἀβακλή (abaklḗ).^[1]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /há.mak.sa/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)a.mak.sa/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mak.sa/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mak.sa/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.mak.sa/

Noun

ᾰ̔́μαξᾰ • (hắmaxă) f (genitive ᾰ̔μάξης); first declension

wagon
Synonym: ἀπήνη (apḗnē)

Inflection

First declension of ἡ ᾰ̔́μαξᾰ; τῆς ᾰ̔μάξης (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ᾰ̔́μαξᾰ hē hắmaxă	τὼ ᾰ̔μάξᾱ tṑ hămáxā	αἱ ᾰ̔́μαξαι hai hắmaxai
Genitive	τῆς ᾰ̔μάξης tês hămáxēs	τοῖν ᾰ̔μάξαιν toîn hămáxain	τῶν ᾰ̔μαξῶν tôn hămaxôn
Dative	τῇ ᾰ̔μάξῃ tēî hămáxēi	τοῖν ᾰ̔μάξαιν toîn hămáxain	ταῖς ᾰ̔μάξαις taîs hămáxais
Accusative	τὴν ᾰ̔́μαξᾰν tḕn hắmaxăn	τὼ ᾰ̔μάξᾱ tṑ hămáxā	τᾱ̀ς ᾰ̔μάξᾱς tā̀s hămáxās
Vocative	ᾰ̔́μαξᾰ hắmaxă	ᾰ̔μάξᾱ hămáxā	ᾰ̔́μαξαι hắmaxai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

ἁρμάμαξα (harmámaxa)

Descendants

Greek: άμαξα (ámaxa)
Latin: hamaxa

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἅμαξα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 81-2