English
amphibrach
Amphibrach comes from Ancient Greek ἀμφίβραχυς ‘short at both ends’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀμφίβραχυςamphíbrakhus‘short at both ends’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamphibrachys
- Englishearliest quotation 1969amphibrach
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀμφίβραχυςamphíbrakhus‘short at both ends’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamphibrachys
- Englishearliest quotation 1969amphibrach
Earliest quotation: 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor: “Then Banoffsky launched into Glinka's great amphibrachs [...]: Subside,…”
A compound of ἀμφί ‘for, for the sake of’ + βραχύς ‘short’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘face’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‘round about, around’
Proto-Hellenic *ampʰí
Ancient Greek ἀμφί ‘for, for the sake of’
Proto-Indo-European *mreǵʰ- ‘short’
Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus ‘short, brief’
Proto-Hellenic *brəkʰús
Ancient Greek βραχύς ‘short’
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἀμφίβραχυς
Today it means
noun A metrical foot in ancient Greek or Latin consisting of two short syllables surrounding one long one (e.g. amāta).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀμφίβραχυς / amphibrach