βῆμα

See also: βήμα and Βήμα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• βᾶμᾰ (bâma) — Doric, Aeolic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷā́mə, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷéh₂mn̥, from *gʷeh₂- (“to step”) (whence ἔβην (ébēn)). Compare βωμός (bōmós).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bɛ̂ː.ma/ → /ˈβi.ma/ → /ˈvi.ma/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bɛ̂ː.ma/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbe̝.ma/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβi.ma/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.ma/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.ma/

Noun

βῆμᾰ • (bêma) n (genitive βήμᾰτος); third declension (Attic, Ionic)

1. a step, pace, footfall, gait
2. raised place or tribune from which men spoke in a public assembly

Declension

Third declension of τὸ βῆμᾰ; τοῦ βήμᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ βῆμᾰ tò bêma	τὼ βήμᾰτε tṑ bḗmate	τᾰ̀ βήμᾰτᾰ tà bḗmata
Genitive	τοῦ βήμᾰτος toû bḗmatos	τοῖν βημᾰ́τοιν toîn bēmátoin	τῶν βημᾰ́των tôn bēmátōn
Dative	τῷ βήμᾰτῐ tôi bḗmati	τοῖν βημᾰ́τοιν toîn bēmátoin	τοῖς βήμᾰσῐ / βήμᾰσῐν toîs bḗmasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ βῆμᾰ tò bêma	τὼ βήμᾰτε tṑ bḗmate	τᾰ̀ βήμᾰτᾰ tà bḗmata
Vocative	βῆμᾰ bêma	βήμᾰτε bḗmate	βήμᾰτᾰ bḗmata
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα ἀναβαίνω (epì tò bêma anabaínō, “to enter public life”, literally “to get up onto the tribune”)

Descendants

• Greek: βήμα (víma), Βήμα (Víma)
• → Classical Syriac: ܒܝܡܐ (bēmā)
• → Coptic: ⲃⲏⲙⲁ (bēma)
• → English: bema
• → Hebrew: בִּימָה (bima)
  • → Dutch: bima
  • → English: bima
  • → Yiddish: בימה (bime)
• → Old Armenian: բեմ (bem)
• → Old Georgian: ბემი (bemi)

Further reading

• “βῆμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press