ἀμφί

Forms

ᾰ̓μφῐ́ (amphí) (governs the genitive, dative, and accusative)^[1] Also the adverb ἀμφίς (amphís).^[2][3] Mycenaean Greek a-pi; it is also the first element of Mycenaean Greek a-pi-qo-ro-i, the dative plural of the word for “servant”.^[4][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *ampʰí,^[1] inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“on both sides, around”), an old adverb.^[1][2][5] Beekes derives the Indo-European word from the instrumental of the noun for “face, front” whose locative is ἀντί (antí), but Wiktionary notes that this is debated.^[2][1] It is clearly connected with ἄμφω (ámphō, “both”).^[2][3]

Cognate with Latin ambi-, Albanian mbi (“at, on”), Old Irish imb- (“around”), Old High German umbi (“around”) and Sanskrit अभि (abhí).^[2][5] Frisk and the DGE explain the Celtic, Germanic and Indo-Iranian words as coming from a form without the initial vowel.^[5][4] By dissimilation of aspirates it appears as ⟨ἀμπ-⟩ in ἀμπέχω (ampékhō).^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on, both as an adverb, “around, on both sides”, and as a preposition with all three cases.^[6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

Its root sense was “on both sides”, as distinct from περί (perí), “all around”.^[7] In Homer and the poets it meant “around” a place or a person and “near, beside”; it was used of those grouped around a leader, of a time “about” which something happened, of what is fought “over”, and of the subject one sings “about”.^[3][7] LSJ calls it chiefly poetic and Ionic, with Herodotus and Xenophon among the prose writers that use it, and in later Greek it was replaced by περί.^[7]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it as an adverb and as a preposition, and the Odyssey has it once with the genitive for singing “about” love.^[6][7]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it with the genitive of place, “around” a city.^[3][4]
• 5th–4th century BC – Xenophon uses it with the accusative of time, “about”.^[3]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius Rhodius uses it in entreaties, “for the sake of” a god.^[7][3][4]

Meanings

Preposition

1. With the accusative or dative: on both sides of, around; near, beside.^[3][7]
2. With the accusative: in the company of, with, of followers grouped about a leader.^[3]
3. With the accusative: about, of a point in time or a number; throughout a period.^[3]
4. With the genitive or dative: for the sake of, over, of what is fought for.^[3][7]
5. With the dative: because of, out of fear or pain.^[3]
6. With all three cases: on the subject of, concerning.^[3][7]

Adverb

1. (Epic) Around, on both sides.^[3][5]

Word family

• ἀμφίς (amphís)
• ἀμφίπολος (amphípolos)
• ἀμφορεύς (amphoreús)
• ἀμφιβάλλω (amphibállō)
• ἀμφίβολος (amphíbolos)
• ἀμφιθέατρον (amphithéātron)
• ἀμπέχω (ampékhō)

Related words

• ἄμφω (ámphō)
• ἀντί (antí)
• περί (perí)
• Latin ambi-

Usage notes

It may follow its noun, but then, unlike most prepositions, it keeps its accent.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press