LOGOI

The corpus record

ψαύω

psauo

touch, in close contact, touched with

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

Where it lives

  • Oedipus at Colonus 6 · 5.79/10k
  • Trachiniae 4 · 5.5/10k
  • Fragments 2 · 5.02/10k
  • Electra 3 · 3.97/10k
  • Iphigenia in Aulis 3 · 3.36/10k
  • Oedipus Tyrannus 3 · 3.24/10k
  • Phoenissae 3 · 3.11/10k
  • Orestes 3 · 3.06/10k
  • Hecuba 2 · 2.79/10k
  • Antigone 2 · 2.73/10k
  • Ion 2 · 2.19/10k
  • Suppliant Maidens 1 · 2.07/10k

Densest 12 of 23 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

touch, in close contact, touched with, assailing

touch, τινος Il. 23.519, 806, Hdt. 2.47. etc.; ἁπτόμενοι καὶ ψ. ἀλλήλων in close contact, Plu. Pyrrh. 12: metaph., μὴ ψαύειν ἀδικίας ὃν τρόπον οὐδὲ πυρός Phld. Rh. 2.155S.: c. dat. instr., ψαῦον . . κόρυθες . . φάλοισι the helmets touched with their φάλοι, Il. 13.132, 16.216; τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ψ. Hdt. 3.30; χεροῖν . . ἔψαυσα πηγῆς A. Pers. 202; εἰ τῆσδε χώρας μήποτε ψαύσει ποδί Id. Ch. 182: but the dat. is used for the gen. in Pi. P. 9.120, Herod. 4.75, Q.S. 8.349 (cf. θιγγάνω II.3, προσψαύω

2 touch lightly, touch upon, notice, slightly, touch, lightly upon

touch lightly. a way of feeling the pulse, opp. θλίβω, Gal. 8.808: metaph., touch upon a subject, notice it slightly, Plb. 1.13.8:—Med., c. acc. rei, touch lightly upon a subject, Gal. 18(1).331.

3 touch as an enemy, lay hands upon

touch as an enemy, lay hands upon, τινος E. IA 1559: abs., κλάοις ἄν, εἰ ψαύσειας A. Supp. 925, cf. S. OC 856.

4 touch, affect

touch, affect, οὐ γὰρ ἄκρας καρδίας ἔψαυσέ μου E. Hec. 242.

5 reach, gain, hit the mark

reach, gain, ὕμνων Pi. N. 5.42; ψ. Ἀφροδίτας Id. O. 6.35: abs., hit the mark, AP 7.428.11 (Mel.).

6 tangent

Math., ἐπίπεδα ψαύοντα tangent planes, Archim. Con.Sph. 17.

II to be touched, are affected

rarely in Pass., to be touched, of the star-fish, ἐνδίδωσι τὸ σῶμα καὶ περιορᾷ ψαυόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν παρατρεχόντων Plu. Sollert. 2.978b, cf. Frig. 951d (if the comma be placed before, not after, οὐσίας) ; ὅσοι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀμινναίων (sc. οἴνων) ψαύονται κεφαλῆς those who are affected in the head . . , Dsc. 5.19.—The word is very rare in early Prose, Antipho 3.3.5, X. Mem. 1.4.12: freq. later, Plb. 1.13.8, al., Plu. Gen.Socr. 2.589f, al.

In the wild

6 of 55 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ψαύω (scan p. 1306; entry #8871).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ψαύω (scan p. 2103; entry #6173).

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