ἄσβεστος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἀ- (a-, “not”) +‎ σβεστός (sbestós), participle of σβέννυμι (sbénnumi, “to quench, quell”). The noun is shortened from ἄσβεστος τίτανος (ásbestos títanos).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /áz.bes.tos/ → /ˈaz.βes.tos/ → /ˈaz.ves.tos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /áz.bes.tos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈaz.bes.tos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈaz.βes.tos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈaz.ves.tos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈaz.ves.tos/

Adjective

ἄσβεστος • (ásbestos) m (feminine ἀσβέστη, neuter ἄσβεστον); first/second declension

1. unquenchable, inextinguishable
2. endless, ceaseless

Inflection

First and second declension of ἄσβεστος; ἀσβέστη; ἄσβεστον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἄσβεστος ásbestos	ἀσβέστη asbéstē	ἄσβεστον ásbeston		ἀσβέστω asbéstō	ἀσβέστᾱ asbéstā	ἀσβέστω asbéstō		ἄσβεστοι ásbestoi	ἄσβεσται ásbestai	ἄσβεστᾰ ásbestă
Genitive		ἀσβέστου asbéstou	ἀσβέστης asbéstēs	ἀσβέστου asbéstou		ἀσβέστοιν asbéstoin	ἀσβέσταιν asbéstain	ἀσβέστοιν asbéstoin		ἀσβέστων asbéstōn	ἀσβέστων asbéstōn	ἀσβέστων asbéstōn
Dative		ἀσβέστῳ asbéstōi	ἀσβέστῃ asbéstēi	ἀσβέστῳ asbéstōi		ἀσβέστοιν asbéstoin	ἀσβέσταιν asbéstain	ἀσβέστοιν asbéstoin		ἀσβέστοις asbéstois	ἀσβέσταις asbéstais	ἀσβέστοις asbéstois
Accusative		ἄσβεστον ásbeston	ἀσβέστην asbéstēn	ἄσβεστον ásbeston		ἀσβέστω asbéstō	ἀσβέστᾱ asbéstā	ἀσβέστω asbéstō		ἀσβέστους asbéstous	ἀσβέστᾱς asbéstās	ἄσβεστᾰ ásbestă
Vocative		ἄσβεστε ásbeste	ἀσβέστη asbéstē	ἄσβεστον ásbeston		ἀσβέστω asbéstō	ἀσβέστᾱ asbéstā	ἀσβέστω asbéstō		ἄσβεστοι ásbestoi	ἄσβεσται ásbestai	ἄσβεστᾰ ásbestă
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἀσβέστως asbéstōs				ἀσβεστότερος asbestóteros				ἀσβεστότᾰτος asbestótătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άσβεστος (ásvestos, “unquenchable”)

Noun

ἄσβεστος • (ásbestos) f (genitive ἄσβέστου); second declension

1. unslaked lime, calcium oxide, quicklime

Declension

Second declension of ἡ ἄσβεστος; τῆς ἀσβέστου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ ἄσβεστος hē ásbestos	τὼ ἀσβέστω tṑ asbéstō	αἱ ἄσβεστοι hai ásbestoi
Genitive	τῆς ἀσβέστου tês asbéstou	τοῖν ἀσβέστοιν toîn asbéstoin	τῶν ἀσβέστων tôn asbéstōn
Dative	τῇ ἀσβέστῳ tēî asbéstōi	τοῖν ἀσβέστοιν toîn asbéstoin	ταῖς ἀσβέστοις taîs asbéstois
Accusative	τὴν ἄσβεστον tḕn ásbeston	τὼ ἀσβέστω tṑ asbéstō	τᾱ̀ς ἀσβέστους tā̀s asbéstous
Vocative	ἄσβεστε ásbeste	ἀσβέστω asbéstō	ἄσβεστοι ásbestoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άσβεστος f (ásvestos, “lime”)
• ⇒ Greek: ασβέστιον n (asvéstion, “lime”)
  • Byzantine Greek: ασβέστιν n (asbéstin)
    • Greek: ασβέστι n (asvésti), ασβέστης m (asvéstis, “lime”) (the second being a misinterpretation of the form ασβέστιν as masculine accusative ασβέστην)
    • → Russian: и́звесть f (ízvestʹ, “lime”)
      • → Kazakh: ізбес (izbes, “lime”)
  • → Greek: ασβέστιο n (asvéstio, “calcium”)
• → Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍈𐌰𐍀𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (unƕapnands) (calque)
• → Latin: asbestos m
  • Catalan: asbest
  • Old French: abestos, abeston
    • French: asbeste
      • → Danish: asbest c
      • → Dutch: asbest n
      • → Estonian: asbest
      • → German: Asbest
        • → Russian: асбе́ст m (asbést)
      • → Norwegian: asbest
      • → Swedish: asbest c
    • → Middle Dutch: asbeston
    • → English: asbestos
    • → Middle High German: aspindē, aspindei (“wood that neither rots nor burns”); bestēōn, bestīōn, abestō, abestōn (“amianthus”)
  • Portuguese: asbesto
  • Spanish: asbesto
  • → Esperanto: asbesto

Further reading

• “ἄσβεστος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄσβεστος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄσβεστος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “ἄσβεστος” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001), A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• ἄσβεστος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἄσβεστος” in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “ἄσβεστος”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G762 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible