ἀμφιγυήεις

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Ancient Greek[edit]

Etymology[edit]

The prefix is ἀμφι- (amphi-, “both”), but the root is less clear. Possibilities include:

  1. γυής (guḗs, “curved piece of wood on a plow”) (which works well morphophonologically but is semantically peculiar)
  2. γυῖον (guîon, “limb”) (which works well semantically but is morphophonologically unexpected)
  3. γυιός (guiós, “lame”) (which works well semantically but is morphophonologically unexpected; moreover, it is attested later than ἀμφιγυήεις (amphiguḗeis)).

Pronunciation[edit]

 

Adjective[edit]

ἀμφῐγῠήεις • (amphiguḗeis) (attested only in the masculine singular nominative)

  1. lame on both sides(?); strong on both sides(?).[1] (epithet of Hephaestus; etymological meaning uncertain, see Etymology section above)

References[edit]

  1. ^ If "lame on both sides," then the meaning most logically refers to his feet/legs. If "strong on both sides," then the meaning most logically refers to his hands/arms, as Hephaestus was also characterized in ancient sources (eg. Iliad, book 1) as the master craftsman of the gods.

Further reading[edit]

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