λίθος (lithos)

1. λίθος · lithos — Beekes

λίθος [m., f.) ‘stone, boulder, rock, precious stones’ (I].). eVAR On the gender see Schwyzer 1950: 37°, Shipp 1967: 76. “COMP Compounds like λιθο-βόλος [m.] ‘stone-thrower (Att.), μονό-λιθος ‘consisting of one stone’ (Hdt.). *DER 1. Diminutives: λιθείδιον (Pl, Arist.), -άριον (Thphr., Hell. inscr.), -αρίδιον (Alex. Trall.). 2. collectives: λιθάς, -άδος [f.] ‘shower of stones, throw of a stone’ (Od., A., Nic.), … — [Beekes, s.v. λίθος, p. 908]

2. λίθος · lithos — Chantraine

λίθος : m., parfois f., p.-ê. d'après πέτρα (?), le f. p.-ê. pour certaines pierres particulières, l’aimant, parfois mais pas toujours des pierres précieuses : « pierre » (Hom., ion.-att., etc.), dit des pierres que lancent les guerriers (Hom., etc.), de la pierre comme matière, notamment pour la construction, y compris le marbre {ion.-att., etc.), dit de la pierre en médecine. Nombreux composés. Au premier terme : … — [Chantraine, s.v. λίθος, p. 657]

3. λίθος · lithos — LSJ

stone, stones, stone-quoit, stones

stone, Hom., etc.; esp. of the stones thrown by warriors, τρηχὺς λ., λ. ὀκριόεις, Il. 5.308, 8.327; also, stone-quoit, Od. 8.190; ἑλέσθαι . . ἐκ γαίας λίθον A. Fr. 199.4; of building- stones, λίθοι βασιλικοί PSI 4.423.28, PCair.Zen. 499.20 (both iii B.C.): prov., ἐν παντὶ γάρ τοι σκορπίος φρουρεῖ λίθῳ S. Fr. 37; λίθον ἕψειν ‘to lose oneʼs labour’, Ar. V. 280; also of stupid persons, ‘blockheads’, λίθοι Id. Nu. 1202, cf. Thgn. 568, Pl. Hp.Ma. 292d, Gal. 9.656; λ. τις, οὐ δούλη Herod. 6.4; προσηγο

2 stone, stone, petrified

stone as a substance, opp. wood, flesh, etc., ἐπεὶ οὔ σφι λ. χρὼς οὐδὲ σίδηρος Il. 4.510; λαοὺς δὲ λίθους ποίησε turned into stone, petrified, 24.611, cf. Pl. Smp. 198c; so [νῆα] θεῖναι λ. Od. 13.156; as an emblem of hard-heartedness, σοὶ δʼ αἰεὶ κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο 23.103, cf. Theoc. 3.18.

II some special stone, touchstone, touchstone, a piece of crystal, glass, precious stone, marble, tufa

λίθος, ἡ, twice in Hom., Il. 12.287, Od. 19.494, just like masc., also in Theoc. 7.26, Bion Fr. 1.2: later mostly of some special stone, as the magnet is called Μαγνῆτις λ. by E. Fr. 567 (but ἡ λίθος simply in Democr. 11k, Arist. Ph. 267a2, cf. v.l. de An. 405a20); also Λυδία λ. by S. Fr. 800 (but in B. Fr. 10 J. Λυδία λ. = touchstone); Ἡρακλεία λ. by Pl. Ion 533d, Epicur. Fr. 293; so of a touchstone, Pl. Grg. 486d; ἡ διαφανὴς λ. a piece of crystal used for a burning-glass, Ar. Nu. 767, cf. Luc.

collectively, πέφυκε λίθος . . ἄφθονος, ἐξ οὗ . . X. Vect. 1.4.

III grave-stone

grave-stone (fem.), Call. Epigr. 8.1.

IV blocks of stone used for rostra, platforms

at Athens, λίθος, ὁ, was a name for various blocks of stone used for rostra or platforms, as,

the βῆμα (q.v.) of the Pnyx, Ar. Ach. 683, Pax 680, Ec. 87.

another in the ἀγορά used by the κήρυκες, Plu. Sol. 8; prob. the same as ὁ πρατὴρ λ., on which the auctioneer stood when selling slaves, etc., Poll. 3.78, cf. 126.

3 altar

an altar in the ἀγορά, at which the Thesmothetae, arbitrators, and witnesses took their oaths, Philoch. 65, D. 54.26 (restored from Harp. s.v. λίθος), Arist. Ath. 7.1, 55.5, Plu. Sol. 25; cf. λιθωμότης.

4 stones

two stones on which litigants stood in the Areopagus, Paus. 1.28.5.

V piece on a draughtboard

piece on a draughtboard, Alc. 82, Theoc. 6.18, cf. γραμμή III.1: hence pron., πάντα λίθον κινεῖν Zen. 5.63 (who explains it differently).

VI stone in the bladder, calculus

Medic., stone in the bladder, calculus, Arist. HA 519b19, Hp. Morb. 4.55, al.

VII

Δία λίθον ὀμνύναι, = Lat. Jovem lapidem jurare, Plb. 3.25.6.

VIII stones

λίθοι χαλάζης hail- stones, LXX Jo. 10.11.

IX stone

λ. ὁ οὐ λ. the philosophers’ stone, Zos. Alch. p.122 B.

λίθος

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