ἀμβροσία

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /am.bro.sí.aː/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /am.broˈsi.a/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /am.broˈsi.a/^[1]

Forms

ᾰ̓μβροσῐ́ᾱ (ambrosíā) f (genitive ἀμβροσῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a noun from ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios, “immortal, divine”), itself from ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos, “immortal”), with the abstract suffix -ία (-íā), and the τ became σ before ι.^[1][2][3] Ἄμβροτος is the privative prefix with βροτός (brotós, “mortal”), an Aeolic development of Proto-Indo-European *mr̥tós (“dead, mortal”); the β grew between μ and ρ.^[3][4]

The privative compound matches Sanskrit अमृत (amṛ́ta, “immortal; drink of immortality”) and Avestan aməṣ̌a (“immortal”).^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad ambrosia is something the gods use on the body, to cleanse the skin before anointing it and to keep a corpse from decay; it is also fodder for Hera's horses.^[5][2] In the Odyssey a goddess sets a table of ambrosia beside red nectar for her guest.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From Homer on ambrosia is the food or drink of the gods, usually paired with νέκταρ (néktar), and a source of immortality, as in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Apollonius of Rhodes.^[5] Pindar pairs nectar and ambrosia.^[5][2] Plato feeds it to the horses of the gods in the Phaedrus.^[5][2] Democritus explained it as the vapours on which the sun feeds.^[5]

Later it named medicines and a festival of Dionysus.^[1] Latin borrowed it as ambrosia, and English took it from Latin in the 1560s.^[1][4] In medieval Greek it could mean simply a fine wine.^[6] Modern Greek αμβροσία (amvrosía) is a learned word for the food of the gods and, jokingly, a delicious dish.^[7]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it as a divine unguent and as fodder for divine horses; the Odyssey as the food of the gods.^[5][2]
• 7th–6th century BC – Sappho and Alcaeus mention it as drink and perfume of the gods.^[5]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar pairs nectar and ambrosia.^[5]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato makes it the food of the gods' horses in the Phaedrus.^[5]
• 1560s – English borrows ambrosia from Latin.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (mythology) ambrosia, the food or drink of the gods, often paired with νέκταρ (néktar).^[2][5]
2. A perfumed unguent of the gods, also used to preserve a corpse.^[2][5]
3. Fodder for divine horses.^[2]
4. immortality.^[5][1]
5. The name of several medicines.^[1]
6. A festival of Dionysus.^[1]

Related words

• ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios)
• ἄμβροτος (ámbrotos)
• βροτός (brotós)
• νέκταρ (néktar)
• Sanskrit अमृत (amṛ́ta)
• Latin ambrosia
• English ambrosia

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
7. ^ Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki