Hydaspes

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὑδάσπης (Hudáspēs), proposed to have been borrowed from Old Persian *Vidāspaʰ (literally “caring for horses”), from *vīd- (“to take care of”) + 𐎠𐎿𐎱 (a-s-p, “horse”) to explain the development -sp- instead of -st-, but this has no basis in any attested names for the river.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /haɪˈdæspiːz/

Proper noun

Hydaspes

1. (historical) The river Jhelum, on the Indian subcontinent, especially as the location of a battle fought by Alexander the Great against King Porus in 326 BCE.
   • 1796, William Robertson, The History of America, 1812, 1st American Edition, Volume 1, page 454,

     When Alexander marched along the banks of the Hydaspes and Ancesine^{[sic – meaning Acesines]}, two of the rivers which fall into the Indus, he observed that there were many crocodiles in those rivers, and that the country produced beans of the same species with those which were common in Egypt. From these circumstances, he concluded that he had discovered the source of the Nile, and prepared a fleet to sail down the Hydaspes to Egypt.

   • 1813, John Rooke (translator), Arrian of Nicomedia, Arrian's History of the expedition of Alexander the Great, J. Davis, 2nd Edition, page 221,

     Alexander having now made ready a fleet on the banks of the river Hydaspes, manned it with all the Phœnicians Cyprians, and Egyptians which he found in his camp, choosing the sailors and rowers out of such as he knew to be expert in sea affairs.

   • 2012, Lee L. Brice, “Hydaspes, Battle of the”, in Lee L. Brice, editor, Greek Warfare: From the Battle of Marathon to the Conquests of Alexander the Great, ABC-CLIO, page 80:

     In 326, after fighting his way across the various regions and tributaries of the upper Indus or Punjab as far as the Hydaspes River, Alexander encountered Porus, the king of the region between the Hydaspes and the Acesines (Chenab) rivers.

2. (Greek mythology) A god associated with the river.

Derived terms

• Battle of the Hydaspes

Further reading

• Hydaspes (mythology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jhelum River on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Battle of the Hydaspes on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • Alexander the Great on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • Porus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Latin

View of the river

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ὑδάσπης (Hudáspēs), itself from Sanskrit वितस्ता (vitastā), also proposed to have been borrowed from Old Persian *Vidāspaʰ (literally “caring for horses”), from *vīd- (“to take care of”) + 𐎠𐎿𐎱 (a-s-p, “horse”) to explain the development -sp- instead of -st-, but this has no basis in any attested names for the river.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /hyˈdas.peːs/, [hʏˈd̪äs̠peːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /iˈdas.pes/, [iˈd̪äspes]

Proper noun

Hydaspēs m sg (genitive Hydaspis); third declension

1. An important river in India where Alexander the Great fought the battle against Porus, now the Jhelum river.

Declension

Third-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Hydaspēs
Genitive	Hydaspis
Dative	Hydaspī
Accusative	Hydaspem
Ablative	Hydaspe
Vocative	Hydaspēs

Derived terms

• Hydaspēus

References

• Hydaspes in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “Hydaspes”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly