λαβύρινθος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Unknown, but Proto-Hellenic *dabúrintʰos can be reconstructed; likely Pre-Greek (whence Mycenaean Greek 𐀅𐁆𐀪𐀵𐀍 (da-phu-ri-to-jo)). Possibly from Lydian 𐤩𐤠𐤡𐤭𐤧𐤳 (lapryš, “double-edged axe”), a royal symbol, as λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos) supposedly originally referred to a Minoan palace on Crete. See also λάβρυς (lábrus, “axe”) and λαύρα (laúra, “lane, passage”). The spelling in Linear B suggests an origin in another language, possibly Minoan.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /la.bý.rin.tʰos/ → /laˈβy.rin.θos/ → /laˈvi.rin.θos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /la.bý.rin.tʰos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /laˈby.rin.tʰos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /laˈβy.rin.θos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /laˈvy.rin.θos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /laˈvi.rin.θos/

Noun

λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος • (labúrinthos) m (genitive λᾰβῠρῐ́νθου); second declension

1. A labyrinth, maze; a large building consisting of numerous halls connected by intricate and tortuous passages.
   1. Something obscure or inscrutable.
2. Any wreathed or coiled up body.

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος; τοῦ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος ho labúrinthos	τὼ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω tṑ laburínthō	οἱ λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθοι hoi labúrinthoi
Genitive	τοῦ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθου toû laburínthou	τοῖν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοιν toîn laburínthoin	τῶν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθων tôn laburínthōn
Dative	τῷ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθῳ tôi laburínthōi	τοῖν λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοιν toîn laburínthoin	τοῖς λᾰβῠρῐ́νθοις toîs laburínthois
Accusative	τὸν λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθον tòn labúrinthon	τὼ λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω tṑ laburínthō	τοὺς λᾰβῠρῐ́νθους toùs laburínthous
Vocative	λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθε labúrinthe	λᾰβῠρῐ́νθω laburínthō	λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθοι labúrinthoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: labyrinthus (see there for further descendants)
• → Greek: λαβύρινθος (lavýrinthos)
• → Russian: лабири́нт (labirínt)

Further reading

• “λαβύρινθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “λαβύρινθος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• λαβύρινθος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• λαβύρινθος 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.
  • labyrinth idem, page 473.
  • maze idem, page 519.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• “λαβύρινθος”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011

Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laˈvi.ɾin.θos/

Noun

λαβύρινθος • (lavýrinthos) m (plural λαβύρινθοι)

1. maze, labyrinth
2. (anatomy) labyrinth (part of inner ear)

Declension

Declension of λαβύρινθος

	singular	plural
nominative	λαβύρινθος •	λαβύρινθοι •
genitive	λαβυρίνθου •	λαβυρίνθων •
accusative	λαβύρινθο •	λαβυρίνθους •
vocative	λαβύρινθε •	λαβύρινθοι •