LOGOI

The corpus record

ἑλίσσω

elisso

turn round

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 29 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

ἑλίσσω · helissō — LSJ

turn round, about, turning, round the doubling-post

turn round or about: Act. in Hom. always of turning a chariot round the doubling-post, οἶσθα γὰρ εὖ περὶ τέρματʼ ἐλισσέμεν [ἵππους] Il. 23.309, cf. 466.

2 roll, roll, along, roll the eddying

generally, roll, ἑ. βίου πόρον roll lifeʼs stream along, Pi. I. 8(7).15; of the chariot of Day, αἰθὴρ κοινὸν φάος εἱλίσσων A. Pr. 1092 (anap.); ἥλιος . . εἱλίσσων φλόγα E. Ph. 3; εἰ. κόνιν roll the eddying dust, A. Pr. 1085 (anap.); ἑ. δίνας, of the Euripus, E. IT 7, cf. 1103 (lyr.); ἑ. κόρας, βλέφαρα, Id. HF 868 (troch.), Or. 1266 (lyr.).

3 ply, swiftly, move the swift, lead the dancing, dance, dance in honour of, dance round

of any rapid motion, ἅλιον . . ἑ. πλάταν ply it swiftly, S. Aj. 358 (lyr.); of the dance, ἑ. πόδα move the swift foot, cj. in E. Or. 171 (lyr.), cf. IA 215 (lyr.); εἱ. θιάσους lead the dancing bands, Id. IT 1145 (lyr.); ἑ. χορούς Stratt. 66.5: abs., dance, E. Ph. 234 (lyr.), cf. Or. 1292 (whence ἑ. τινά dance in honour of . ., Id. HF 690 (lyr.), IA 1480 (lyr.)); ἑ. βωμόν dance round it, Call. Del. 321.

4 roll, wind round, clasp

roll or wind round, πλόκαμον περὶ ἄτρακτον Hdt. 4.34, cf. 2.38; λίνον ἠλακάτᾳ δακτύλοις ἑ. E. Or. 1432 (lyr.); χεῖρας ἀμφὶ γόνυ ἑ. clasp them round . ., Id. Ph. 1622.

5 turn in oneʼs mind, revolve, speak wily

metaph., turn in oneʼs mind, revolve, τοιαῦθʼ ἑ. S. Ant. 231, cf. Pl. Epin. 978d; μῆτιν A.R. 1.463; ἑ. κακοὺς λόγους speak wily words, E. Or. 892.

6 form winding

κόλπους ἑ. form winding reaches, of rivers, D.P. 630; ἀγκῶνας Id. 979.

II turn oneself round, about, rallied his, when, turned to face, having turned to bay, coil himself, spinning through the air, rolling, whirled round, circling

Med. and Pass., turn oneself round or about (but in Il. 12.49 εἱλίσσεθʼ ἑταίρους (as read by Nicanor) rallied his comrades), ἑλιχθέντων ὑπʼ Ἀχαιῶν when they turned to face the foe, ib. 74, cf. 408; so of a wild boar, ἑλιξάμενος having turned to bay, 17.283; of a serpent, coil himself, ἑλισσόμενος περὶ χειῇ 22.95; ἡ δέ τʼ ἐλισσομένη πέτεται (sc. καλαῦροψ) the shepherdʼs staff flies spinning through the air, 23.846; κνίση . . ἑλισσομένη περὶ καπνῷ rolling with the smoke, 1.317; ἑλισσόμενοι περὶ δί

2 turn hither and thither, go about, turned himself

turn hither and thither, go about, ἀνʼ ὅμιλον Il. 12.49; καθʼ ὅμιλον ib. 467; ἑλίσσετο ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα turned himself hither and thither, doubting what to do, Od. 20.24.

3 to be constantly in, about

metaph., to be constantly in or about a thing, περὶ φύσας Il. 18.372; ἔν τινι, εἴς τι, Pl. Tht. 194b, Porph. ap. Eus. PE 3.4: c. gen., μέλιτός τε καὶ ἔργων εἱλίσσονται (sc. μέλισσαι) Arat. 1030.

4 whirl in the dance

whirl in the dance, E. Ba. 569 (lyr.), IA 1055 (lyr.).

5 with a whirl

Med. in act. sense, ἧκε δέ μιν σφαιρηδὸν ἑλιξάμενος he threw it with a whirl like a ball, Il. 13.204.

6 have their, rolled round

τὰς κεφαλὰς εἱλίχατο μίτρῃσι have their heads rolled round with turbans, Hdt. 7.90.

In the wild

6 of 79 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

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