Amazonomachia

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French Amazonomachie or German Amazonomachie, or a direct learned borrowing from their etymon Ancient Greek Ἀμαζονομᾰχῐ́ᾱ (Amazonomăkhĭ́ā), from Ἀμαζών (Amazṓn, “mythical female warrior from the Black Sea region”) (for further etymology see that entry) + μᾰ́χη (mắkhē, “battle, combat”) (either ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂gʰ- (“to fight”) or Pre-Greek) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).

The plural form Amazonomachiae is derived from Amazonomachia + Latin -iae (plural form of -ia), while Amazonomachiai is a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek Ἀμαζονομᾰχῐ́αι (Amazonomăkhĭ́ai).

Pronunciation

• Singular:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.mə.zɒ.nəˈmæ.ki.ə/, /-ˈmeɪ-/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.məˌzɑ.nəˈmæ.ki.ə/, /-ˈmeɪ-/
  • Rhymes: -ækiə, -eɪkiə
  • Hyphenation: Ama‧zon‧o‧mach‧ia
• Plural (Amazonomachiae):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.mə.zɒ.nəˈmæ.ki.iː/, /-aɪ/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.məˌzɑ.nəˈmeɪ.kiˌi/, /-aɪ/
  • Hyphenation: Ama‧zon‧o‧mach‧i‧ae
• Plural (Amazonomachiai):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.mə.zɒ.nəˈmæ.ki.aɪ/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.məˌzɑ.nəˈmeɪ.kiˌaɪ/
  • Hyphenation: Ama‧zon‧o‧mach‧i‧ai

Noun

Amazonomachia (plural Amazonomachias or Amazonomachiae or (rare) Amazonomachiai)

1. (Ancient Greece, mythology) A battle with Amazons (“mythical female warriors thought to inhabit the Black Sea region”); also (art), an artistic representation of such a scene.

   Synonym: Amazonomachy

   • 1873, Samuel Birch, chapter X, in History of Ancient Pottery, Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, new edition, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, pages 422–423:

     In style these vases have the general Apulian type, and their art is of the same late period. […] Among the subjects are the usual Eros and Aphrodite of this style, Phrixos crossing the Hellespont on the ram, Orestes at Delphi, the sacrifice of the ram of Tantalos, Aktaion seized by his dogs, the burial of Chrysippos, Bellerophon, Meleager and the Kalydonian bear, Herakles and Geryon, the judgment of Paris, the arming of Penthesilea, Europa, the Kentaurs and Amazonomachiai, Omphale, and others of a similar kind.

   • 1990, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae:

     The Amazonomachia, or Amazon contest, symbolized the struggle of civilization against barbarism.

Translations

battle with Amazons; artistic representation of such a scene

• Finnish: amazonomakhia
• French: amazonomachie (fr) f
• German: Amazonomachie ?
• Italian: amazzonomachia (it) f
• Portuguese: amazonomaquia f

Further reading

• Amazonomachy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia