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 Medieval) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈli.maks/

Noun

λεῖμᾰξ • (leîmăx) 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 leîmăx	τὼ λείμᾰκε tṑ leímăke	αἱ λείμᾰκες hai leímăkes
Genitive	τῆς λείμᾰκος tês leímăkos	τοῖν λειμᾰ́κοιν toîn leimắkoin	τῶν λειμᾰ́κων tôn leimắkōn
Dative	τῇ λείμᾰκῐ tēî leímăkĭ	τοῖν λειμᾰ́κοιν toîn leimắkoin	ταῖς λείμᾰξῐ / λείμᾰξῐν taîs leímăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν λείμᾰκᾰ tḕn leímăkă	τὼ λείμᾰκε tṑ leímăke	τᾱ̀ς λείμᾰκᾰς tā̀s leímăkăs
Vocative	λεῖμᾰξ leîmăx	λείμᾰκε leímăke	λείμᾰκες leímăkes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• λειμᾰ́κῐδες (leimắkĭdes)
• λειμᾰκώδης (leimăkṓdēs)

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