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πῆχυς

πῆχυς, πῆχυς, forearm, arm; cubit (a unit of measure equal to average length from elbow to tip of middle finger)

πῆχυς (Aeol. πᾶχυς Alc. 33), ὁ, gen. πήχεος Hp. Fract. 2, al., Hdt. 1.178, Pl. Alc. 1.126d, Arist. Mir. 813a10, LXX Ex. 25.9, al., Plb. 10.44.2, Ph. Bel. 73.42, πήχεως Arist. HA 606a14 (v.l. -εος), PCair.Zen. 484.10 (iii B.C.), πήχως (condemned by Phryn. 222) corrected to πήχεος PCair.Zen. 665.1 (iii B. C.): gen. pl. πήχεων IG 1(2).314.39, 22.1673.15, PCair.Zen. 353.10 (iii B. C.); later contr. πηχῶν X. An. 4.7.16 codd., Arist. Pol. 1302b37, PCair.Zen. 54.4 (iii B. C.), PStrassb. 85.20 (ii B. C.), Phld. Sign. 2, Phryn. 222, Moer. p.327 P.:—
  • forearm, from wrist to elbow, Hp. Fract. 2, 3, al., Poll. 2.140; opp. βραχίων, Pl. Ti. 75a, X. Eq. 12.5: in Poets, generally, arm, ἀμφὶ δʼ ἑὸν φίλον υἱὸν ἐχεύατο πήχεε λευκώ Il. 5.314, cf. Od. 17.38, 23.240; λευκὸν ἀντείνασα π. B. Fr. 13.4, cf. E. Or. 1466 (lyr.); λαιὸν ἔπαιρε π. Id. Heracl. 728.
      • 2 Anat., ulna, Ruf. Onom. 80, Gal. UP 2.2, Sor. Fract. 20.
    • II centrepiece, which joined the two horns of the bow, τόν ῥʼ [ὀϊστὸν] ἐπὶ πήχει ἑλὼν ἕλκεν νευρήν Od. 21.419; ὁ δὲ τόξου πῆχυν ἄνελκε Il. 11.375, 13.583.
    • III in pl., horns of the lyre, opp. ζυγόν (the bridge), Hdt. 4.192; πήχεις ἐναρμόσας καὶ ζυγώσας Luc. DDeor. 11[7].4.
      • 2 also, = ζυγόν, crosspiece or bridge in which the horns were fitted, ArtemoHist. 12.
    • IV in the balance, beam, IG 2(2).1013.32, Theol.Ar. 29.
    • V as a measure of length, distance from the point of the elbow to that of the middle finger, = 6 παλασταί = 24 δάκτυλοι, Poll. 2.158; π. μέτριος Hdt. 1.178; π. ἰδιωτικός, κοινός, Sch. Luc. Cat. 16; but π. βασιλήϊος, = 27 δάκτυλοι, Hdt. 1.178, 7.117; ὁ Αἰγύπτιος π. τυγχάνει ἴσος ἐὼν τῷ Σαμίῳ Id. 2.168, cf. Luc. l.c.; for later measurements, Hero Deff. 131, Geom. 4.2, al.
      • 2 cubit-rule, as we say ‘foot-rule’, Ar. Ra. 799, Gal. 1.47; π. ἀκαμπής AP 6.204 (Leon.); as epith. of Nemesis, APl. 16.223, 224.
      • 3 metaph. of any small amount (cf. πήχυιος), Ev.Matt. 6.27; κατὰ πῆχυν little by little, Marin. Procl. 26.
    • VI πήχεις, οἱ, the cubits (of inundation), represented in pictures as children one cubit high playing round the Nile, Luc. Rh.Pr. 6, Philostr. Im. 1.5. (Cf. Skt. bāhú-, Avest. bāzu- (masc.) ‘arm’, ONorse bógr ‘shoulder’.)

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