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ὄστρακον

ὄστρακον, an earthen vessel

ὄστρᾰκον, τό,
  • earthen vessel, Ar. Ra. 1190, Ec. 1033, Lys. 3.28, 4.6; flower-pot, Thphr. HP 6.7.3.
      • 2 fragment of such a vessel, potsherd, IG 42(1).121.82 (Epid., iv B. C., pl.), LXX Ps. 21.16, al., Ostr. 1152, etc.; ἰπνοῦ ὄστρακα Hp. Morb. 2.47; esp. the potsherd used in voting (v. ὀστρακίζω): hence τοὔστρακον παροίχεται the danger of ostracism is past, Cratin. 71; τὰ ὄστρακα, = ὀστρακισμός, Pl.Com. 187; τὸ ὄ. ἐπιφέρειν τινί to vote for any oneʼs banishment, Plu. Alc. 13, cf. Per. 14.
      • 3 ὀστράκου περιστροφή, of the game ὀστρακίνδα (q. v.), Pl. R. 521c; so ὀστράκου μεταπεσόντος ‘if heads become tails’, Id. Phdr. 241b.
      • 4 earthenware castanet, ἡ τοῖς ὀ. κροτοῦσα [Μοῦσα], of the poetry of Euripides, Ar. Ra. 1305.
    • II the hard shell of snails, mussels, cuttle-fishes, tortoises, etc., h.Merc. 33, S. Ichn. 303 (dub.l.), Hp. Steril. 245, Theoc. 9.25, Arist. HA 528a4, etc.: hence, tortoise-shell or mother-of-pearl, κλιντῆρες ὀστράκοις . . ἐνδεδεμένοι prob. l. in Ph. 1.666; the shell at the base of the constellation Lyra, Ptol. Alm. 7.5.
      • 2 egg-shell, ἀπτῆνα . ., ἄρτι γυμνὸν ὀστράκων A. Fr. 337, cf. Arist. GA 754a2.

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