LOGOI

The corpus record

ὠδίς

odis · ἡ

pangs, throes of childbirth, birth

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

Where it lives

  • Nahum 1 · 10.83/10k
  • Osee 2 · 5.31/10k
  • Odae 2 · 4.92/10k
  • Michaeas 1 · 4.39/10k
  • Machabaeorum IV 3 · 3.89/10k
  • Job 5 · 3.75/10k
  • Ion 3 · 3.28/10k
  • Heracles 2 · 2.56/10k
  • Psalmi Salomonis 1 · 2.1/10k
  • Suppliant Maidens 1 · 2.07/10k
  • Phoenissae 2 · 2.07/10k
  • Libation Bearers 1 · 1.86/10k

Densest 12 of 44 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

pangs, throes of childbirth, birth

mostly in pl., pangs or throes of childbirth, πικρὰς ὠδῖνας ἔχουσαι Il. 11.271; τέκε . . ἐν μόναις ὠδῖσιν . . διδύμων σθένος υἱῶν at a single birth, Pi. P. 9.85; πόνους ἐνεγκοῦσʼ ἐν ὠδῖσι E. Supp. 920 (lyr.); ἐν ὠδίνων λοχίαις ἀνάγκαισι Id. Ba. 89 (lyr.), cf. Ion 452 (lyr.); αἱ διʼ ὠδίνων γοναί Id. Ph. 355: also in sg., Pi. O. 6.43, N. 1.36, S. OC 533 (lyr.); γυνὴ φεύγει πικρὰν ὠδῖνα παίδων Id. Fr. 932.

2 that which is born amid throes, child, children

in sg. also, that which is born amid throes, child, παῖδα, φιλτάτην ἐμοὶ ὠδῖνα A. Ag. 1418, cf. Pi. O. 6.31, E. Ion 45; θαλλὸν ἱερὸν ἐλαίας, Λατοῦς ὠδῖνα (fort. ὠδῖνι) φίλαν Id. IT 1102 (lyr.); ἄπτερον ὠδῖνα τέκνων, of young birds, Id. HF 1040: pl., children, AP 7.549 (Leon.Alex.); ὀρταλίχων ἁπαλὴ ὠδίς, of eggs, Nic. Al. 165; τοῦ ᾠοῦ ἐν ὠδῖνι ὄντος Arist. HA 560b22; ὠ. Θαλάσσας, of Aphrodite, AP 9.386; ὠδὶς μελίσσης, of honey, Nonn. D. 5.228, al.

II travail, anguish

metaph., travail, anguish, A. Ch. 211, Supp. 770 (both sg.): also in pl., of love, ἐμοὶ πικρὰς ὠδῖνας αὑτοῦ προσβαλὼν ἀποίχεται S. Tr. 42, cf. Pl. R. 574a, Phdr. 251e: freq. in LXX, Ex. 15.14, al., Ev.Matt. 24.8.

2 fruit of, travail

fruit of the mindʼs travail, τῆς ἐμῆς ὠ. Luc. Dem.Enc. 25; λόγων ὠδῖνες Him. Or. 18.3; ἐπέων Tryph. 117.

3 bonds

ὠδῖνες θανάτου, ᾅδου, the bonds of death, LXX 2 Ki. 22.6, Ps. 17(18).5, 6 (due to confusion of Hebr. ḥēbel ‘pang’ with ḥèbel ‘cordʼ), cf. Act.Ap. 2.24.

In the wild

6 of 79 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. ὠδίς (scan pp. 1726-1727; entry #6686).
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ὠδίς (scan p. 1318; entry #8950).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ὠδίς (scan pp. 2115-2116; entry #6219).

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