ἀμφίπολος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *ampʰikʷolos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi-kʷol-ós. By surface analysis, ἀμφί (amphí, “about”) +‎ πέλω (pélō, “to go”) +‎ -ος (-os). Cognate with Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀠𐀦𐀫 (a-pi-qo-ro) /ampʰíkʷolos/, Sanskrit अभिचर (abhicara, “servant”), अभिचार (abhicārá, “witchcraft”), Latin anculus (“servant”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /am.pʰí.po.los/ → /amˈɸi.po.los/ → /amˈfi.po.los/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /am.pʰí.po.los/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /amˈpʰi.po.los/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /amˈɸi.po.los/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /amˈfi.po.los/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /amˈfi.po.los/

Adjective

ἀμφίπολος • (amphípolos) m or f (neuter ἀμφίπολον); second declension (Epic, Attic, Ionic, Doric, Koine)

1. being about, busied about, busy
   1. (substantive)
      1. (in feminine) handmaid, waiting-woman
         1. handmaid of the gods, priestess
      2. (in masculine) attendant, follower
      3. (in masculine) priest
2. (passive voice) much frequented

Declension

Second declension of ἀμφῐ́πολος; ἀμφῐ́πολον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἀμφῐ́πολος amphĭ́polos	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐ́πολοι amphĭ́poloi	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Genitive		ἀμφῐπόλου amphĭpólou	ἀμφῐπόλου amphĭpólou		ἀμφῐπόλοιν amphĭpóloin	ἀμφῐπόλοιν amphĭpóloin		ἀμφῐπόλων amphĭpólōn	ἀμφῐπόλων amphĭpólōn
Dative		ἀμφῐπόλῳ amphĭpólōi	ἀμφῐπόλῳ amphĭpólōi		ἀμφῐπόλοιν amphĭpóloin	ἀμφῐπόλοιν amphĭpóloin		ἀμφῐπόλοις amphĭpólois	ἀμφῐπόλοις amphĭpólois
Accusative		ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐπόλους amphĭpólous	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Vocative		ἀμφῐ́πολε amphĭ́pole	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐ́πολοι amphĭ́poloi	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ἀμφῐπόλως amphĭpólōs			ἀμφῐπολώτερος amphĭpolṓteros			ἀμφῐπολώτᾰτος amphĭpolṓtătos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Second declension of ἀμφῐ́πολος; ἀμφῐ́πολον (Epic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἀμφῐ́πολος amphĭ́polos	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐ́πολοι amphĭ́poloi	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Genitive		ἀμφῐπόλου / ἀμφῐπολοῖο / ἀμφῐπόλοιο / ἀμφῐπολόο / ἀμφῐπόλοο amphĭpólou / amphĭpoloîo / amphĭpóloio / amphĭpolóo / amphĭpóloo	ἀμφῐπόλου / ἀμφῐπολοῖο / ἀμφῐπόλοιο / ἀμφῐπολόο / ἀμφῐπόλοο amphĭpólou / amphĭpoloîo / amphĭpóloio / amphĭpolóo / amphĭpóloo		ἀμφῐπόλοιν / ἀμφῐπόλοιῐν amphĭpóloi(ĭ)n	ἀμφῐπόλοιν / ἀμφῐπόλοιῐν amphĭpóloi(ĭ)n		ἀμφῐπόλων amphĭpólōn	ἀμφῐπόλων amphĭpólōn
Dative		ἀμφῐπόλῳ amphĭpólōi	ἀμφῐπόλῳ amphĭpólōi		ἀμφῐπόλοιν / ἀμφῐπόλοιῐν amphĭpóloi(ĭ)n	ἀμφῐπόλοιν / ἀμφῐπόλοιῐν amphĭpóloi(ĭ)n		ἀμφῐπόλοισῐ / ἀμφῐπόλοισῐν / ἀμφῐπόλοις amphĭpóloisĭ(n) / amphĭpólois	ἀμφῐπόλοισῐ / ἀμφῐπόλοισῐν / ἀμφῐπόλοις amphĭpóloisĭ(n) / amphĭpólois
Accusative		ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐπόλους amphĭpólous	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Vocative		ἀμφῐ́πολε amphĭ́pole	ἀμφῐ́πολον amphĭ́polon		ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō	ἀμφῐπόλω amphĭpólō		ἀμφῐ́πολοι amphĭ́poloi	ἀμφῐ́πολᾰ amphĭ́polă
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ἀμφῐπόλως amphĭpólōs			ἀμφῐπολώτερος amphĭpolṓteros			ἀμφῐπολώτᾰτος amphĭpolṓtătos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Further reading

• “ἀμφίπολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀμφίπολος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀμφίπολος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἀμφίπολος in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀμφίπολος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἀμφίπολος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “ἀμφίπολος”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • attendant idem, page 51.
  • servant idem, page 755.