λεῖμαξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Identical with Latin līmax (“snail”), which is probably a Greek loan, but also with Proto-Slavic *slimakъ (“snail”). Thus, it has to be a derivative in -ak- of the m-stem in Proto-Germanic *slīmą (“slime, mucus”), Latin līmus (“mud, slime”) and Ancient Greek λίμνη (límnē, “marsh”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /lêː.maks/ → /ˈli.maks/ → /ˈli.maks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /lêː.maks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/

Noun

λεῖμᾰξ • (leîmax) f (genitive λείμᾰκος); third declension

1. Alternative form of λειμών (leimṓn)
2. limax, snail

Declension

Third declension of ἡ λεῖμᾰξ; τῆς λείμᾰκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ λεῖμᾰξ hē leîmax	τὼ λείμᾰκε tṑ leímake	αἱ λείμᾰκες hai leímakes
Genitive	τῆς λείμᾰκος tês leímakos	τοῖν λειμᾰ́κοιν toîn leimákoin	τῶν λειμᾰ́κων tôn leimákōn
Dative	τῇ λείμᾰκῐ têi leímaki	τοῖν λειμᾰ́κοιν toîn leimákoin	ταῖς λείμᾰξῐ / λείμᾰξῐν taîs leímaxi(n)
Accusative	τὴν λείμᾰκᾰ tḕn leímaka	τὼ λείμᾰκε tṑ leímake	τᾱ̀ς λείμᾰκᾰς tā̀s leímakas
Vocative	λεῖμᾰξ leîmax	λείμᾰκε leímake	λείμᾰκες leímakes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• λειμᾰκώδης (leimakṓdēs)
• λειμᾰ́κῐδες (leimákides)

 

Descendants

• → Latin: līmax (see there for further descendants)
• → Translingual: Limax

Further reading

• “λεῖμαξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λείμαξ”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 843
• Hesychius' Lexicon: λ