ἀδάμας

See also: αδάμας

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 1 January 2014

Etymology

Often derived from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + δαμνάω (damnáō, “conquer”), as “indomitable”, but Beekes remarks that semantically this is strange and the word is rather a Semitic borrowing that was adapted by folk etymology; compare Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (adamu) or 𒋤𒉘 (elmēšu [SUD.ÁG], “a valuable stone, perhaps amber”). Middle Persian ʾlmʾs (almās) is probably from the same source.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.dá.maːs/ → /aˈða.mas/ → /aˈða.mas/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.dá.maːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈda.mas/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/

Noun

ἀδᾰ́μᾱς • (adámās) m (genitive ἀδᾰ́μᾰντος); third declension

1. adamant, the hardest metal (probably steel)
2. a hard metal resembling gold
3. diamond

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς; τοῦ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς ho adámās	τὼ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε tṑ adámante	οἱ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες hoi adámantes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος toû adámantos	τοῖν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν toîn adamántoin	τῶν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων tôn adamántōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ tôi adámanti	τοῖν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν toîn adamántoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν toîs adámāsi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ tòn adámanta	τὼ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε tṑ adámante	τοὺς ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰς toùs adámantas
Vocative	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν adáman	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες adámantes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἀδαμάντινος (adamántinos)

Descendants

• → Latin: adamās
  • → Albanian: adham
  • → English: adamant, diamond (via Old French)
  • → Irish: adhmaint
  • Istriot: giamanto
  • Italian: adamante
  • Portuguese: adamante, diamante, ímã
  • Sicilian: damanti, diamanti
  • Spanish: adamante, diamante, imán
  • ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *adimas, *adimantem, *diamas, *diamantem
    • Catalan: imant, diamant (via French)
    • Old French: aimant, diamant
      • French: aimant, diamant (see there for further descendants)
    • Italian: diamante
• → Old Armenian: ադամանդ (adamand)
• → Old Georgian: ანდამატიაჲ (andamaṭiay), ადამანტი (adamanṭi), ადამატი (adamaṭi), ადამაჲ (adamay)
  • Georgian: ანდამატი (andamaṭi)

Adjective

ἀδάμᾱς • (adámās) m or f (neuter ἀδάμαν); third declension

1. (figuratively) fixed, unalterable
2. not to be broken, inflexible

Declension

Third declension of ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς; ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς adámās	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν adáman		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες adámantes	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ adámanta
Genitive		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος adámantos	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος adámantos		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν adamántoin	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν adamántoin		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων adamántōn	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων adamántōn
Dative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ adámanti	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ adámanti		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν adamántoin	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν adamántoin		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν adámāsi(n)	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν adámāsi(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ adámanta	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν adáman		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰς adámantas	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ adámanta
Vocative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς adámās	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν adáman		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε adámante		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες adámantes	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ adámanta
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντως adamántōs			—			—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “ἀδάμας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀδάμας”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀδάμας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀδάμας in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἀδάμας”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• ἀδάμας in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • adamant idem, page 10.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 19
• Skok, Petar (1971) “adàmanat”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 8