ἀδάμας

See also: αδάμας

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 1 January 2014

Etymology

Often derived from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + δαμνάω (damnáō, “conquer”), as “indomitable”, but Beekes remarks that semantically this is strange and the word is rather a Semitic borrowing that was adapted by folk etymology; compare Akkadian 𒀀𒁕𒈬 (adamu) or 𒋤𒉘 (elmēšu [SUD.ÁG], “a valuable stone, perhaps amber”). Middle Persian ʾlmʾs (almās) is probably from the same source.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /a.dá.maːs/ → /aˈða.mas/ → /aˈða.mas/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.dá.maːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈda.mas/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈða.mas/

Noun

ἀδᾰ́μᾱς • (adắmās) m (genitive ἀδᾰ́μᾰντος); third declension

1. adamant, the hardest metal (probably steel)
2. a hard metal resembling gold
3. diamond

Declension

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς ho ădắmās	τὼ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε tṑ ădắmănte	οἱ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες hoi ădắmăntes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος toû ădắmăntos	τοῖν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν toîn ădămắntoin	τῶν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων tôn ădămắntōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ tôi ădắmăntĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν toîn ădămắntoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν toîs ădắmāsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ tòn ădắmăntă	τὼ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε tṑ ădắmănte	τοὺς ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰς toùs ădắmăntăs
Vocative	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν ădắmăn	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες ădắmăntes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς; τοῦ ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος (Attic)

Derived terms

• ἀδαμάντινος (adamántinos)

Descendants

• → Latin: adamās
  • → Albanian: adham
  • → English: adamant, diamond (via Old French)
  • → Irish: adhmaint
  • Italian: adamante
  • Portuguese: adamante
  • Spanish: adamante
  • ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *adimas, *adimantem, *diamas, *diamantem
    • Catalan: imant, diamant (via French)
    • Old French: aimant, diamant
      • French: aimant, diamant (see there for further descendants)
    • Italian: diamante
    • Istriot: giamanto
    • Portuguese: diamante, ímã
    • Sicilian: damanti, diamanti
    • Spanish: diamante, imán
• → Old Armenian: ադամանդ (adamand)
• → Old Georgian: ანდამატიაჲ (andamaṭiay), ადამანტი (adamanṭi), ადამატი (adamaṭi), ადამაჲ (adamay)
  • Georgian: ანდამატი (andamaṭi)

Adjective

ἀδάμᾱς • (adámās) m or f (neuter ἀδάμαν); third declension

1. (figuratively) fixed, unalterable
2. not to be broken, inflexible

Declension

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς ădắmās	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν ădắmăn		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες ădắmăntes	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ ădắmăntă
Genitive		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος ădắmăntos	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντος ădắmăntos		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν ădămắntoin	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν ădămắntoin		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων ădămắntōn	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντων ădămắntōn
Dative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ ădắmăntĭ	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντῐ ădắmăntĭ		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν ădămắntoin	ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντοιν ădămắntoin		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν ădắmāsĭ(n)	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐ / ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱσῐν ădắmāsĭ(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ ădắmăntă	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν ădắmăn		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰς ădắmăntăs	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ ădắmăntă
Vocative		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς ădắmās	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν ădắmăn		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντε ădắmănte		ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντες ădắmăntes	ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰντᾰ ădắmăntă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰ́ντως ădămắntōs			—			—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾱς; ᾰ̓δᾰ́μᾰν (Attic)

References

• “ἀδάμας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀδάμας”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἀδάμας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀδάμας in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἀδάμας”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• ἀδάμας 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, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • adamant idem, page 10.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 19
• Skok, Petar (1971) “adàmanat”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 8