ἄβαξ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Usually suggested to be of Semitic origin, such as Phoenician or Hebrew אָבָק (ʾāḇā́q, “dust”), but Beekes finds this unconvincing.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.baks/ → /ˈa.βaks/ → /ˈa.vaks/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.baks/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.baks/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.βaks/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.vaks/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.vaks/

Noun

ᾰ̓́βᾰξ • (ábax) m (genitive ἄβᾰκος); third declension

1. board, slab
2. reckoning board, abacus

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓́βᾰξ; τοῦ ᾰ̓́βᾰκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓́βᾰξ ho ábax	τὼ ᾰ̓́βᾰκε tṑ ábake	οἱ ᾰ̓́βᾰκες hoi ábakes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́βᾰκος toû ábakos	τοῖν ᾰ̓βᾰ́κοιν toîn abákoin	τῶν ᾰ̓βᾰ́κων tôn abákōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́βᾰκῐ tôi ábaki	τοῖν ᾰ̓βᾰ́κοιν toîn abákoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́βᾰξῐ / ᾰ̓́βᾰξῐν toîs ábaxi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓́βᾰκᾰ tòn ábaka	τὼ ᾰ̓́βᾰκε tṑ ábake	τοὺς ᾰ̓́βᾰκᾰς toùs ábakas
Vocative	ᾰ̓́βᾰξ ábax	ᾰ̓́βᾰκε ábake	ᾰ̓́βᾰκες ábakes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άβακας m (ávakas)
• → Latin: abacus
  • → English: abacus
  • → French: abaque
    • → English: abaque
  • → Italian: abaco
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: abakus
  • → Portuguese: ábaco

References

• “ἄβαξ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἄβαξ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄβαξ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)