ῥάβδος (rabdos)

Where it lives

Hebrews 6 · 11.95/10k
Bel et Draco (LXX) 1 · 11.9/10k
Nahum 1 · 10.83/10k
Numeri 22 · 9.53/10k
Exodus 21 · 8.87/10k
Michaeas 2 · 8.78/10k
Zacharias 4 · 8.29/10k
Esther 3 · 5.42/10k
Ezechiel 15 · 5.19/10k
Proverbia 5 · 4.5/10k
Lamentationes 1 · 4.29/10k
Psalmi Salomonis 2 · 4.2/10k

Densest 12 of 42 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

rod, wand

rod, wand, Hom. (v. infr.), etc.; lighter than the βακτηρία or walking-stick, X. Eq. 11.4 (but = βακτηρία, Ev.Matt. 10.10, al.). —Special uses:

1 magic wand, divining-rod

magic wand, as that of Circe, Od. 10.238, 319, etc.; that with which Athena touched Odysseus, to restore his youthful appearance, χρυσείῃ ῥάβδῳ ἐπεμάσσατο 16.172; that with which Hermes overpowers the senses of man, Il. 24.343; that with which Hades rules the ghosts, Pi. O. 9.33; divining-rod, Hdt. 4.67.

2 fishing-rod

fishing-rod, Od. 12.251.

3 limed twig

limed twig, for catching small birds, Ar. Av. 527.

4 shaft

shaft of a hunting-spear, X. Cyn. 10.3, 16.

5 staff of office

staff of office, like the earlier σκῆπτρον, Pl. Ax. 367a, LXX Ps. 44(45).7, 109(110).2; carried by a βραβευτής, Phld. Vit. p.25J.:— dub. in A. Supp. 248 for ῥαβδοῦχος.

6 wand borne by the, measure

wand borne by the ῥαψῳδός, τὸν ἐπὶ ῥάβδῳ μῦθον ὑφαινόμενον Call. Fr. 138 ( = Fr. 3.10P.), cf. Paus. 9.30.3: hence κατὰ ῥάβδον ἐπέων according to the measure of his (Homerʼs) verses, Pi. I. 4(3).38(56).

7 rod for chastisement, riding-switch, goad, fasces

rod for chastisement, ῥ. κοσμοῦσα Pl. Lg. 700c; μάστιξ ἢ ῥ. riding-switch, X. Eq. 8.4; ῥ. βοηλάτις ox-goad, APl. 16.200 (Mosch.); ξαίνεσθαι ῥάβδοις Plu. Alex. 51, cf. AP 11.153 (Lucill.): of the fasces of the Roman lictors, Plb. 11.29.6, D.H. 4.11, Str. 5.2.2, Plu. Publ. 10, Luc. 36; πρὸς πέντε ῥάβδους, = Lat. at (i.e. ad) quinque fasces (CIL 8.7044 (Numidia)), OGI 543.18 (Ancyra, ii A.D.), IGRom. 3.175 (ibid., ii A.D.); cf. ῥαβδονόμος, ῥαβδοῦχος.

8 shepherdʼs staff, crook

shepherdʼs staff or crook, LXX Ps. 22(23).4, Mi. 7.14.

9 measuring-rod

ῥ. κληρονομίας measuring-rod, ib. Ps. 73(74).2.

10 stitch, rivets, studs

stitch, ἔντοσθεν δὲ βοείας ῥάψε θαμειὰς χρυσείῃς ῥάβδοισι διηνεκέσιν περὶ κύκλον Il. 12.297 (unless it means rivets, studs).

II young shoot

young shoot of some trees, Ion Trag. 40, Thphr. HP 2.1.2.

III streak, stripe, fluting, vein, streak, shaft

streak or stripe on the skin of animals, διαποίκιλα ῥάβδοις Arist. HA 525a12; of fish, Clearch. 73; of clothes, Poll. 7.53; fluting of a column, Supp.Epigr. 4.448.7 (Didyma, ii B.C., pl.); of minerals, vein, Thphr. CP 4.12.6, D.S. 5.37; streak or shaft of light, Arist. Mete. 377a30, Mu. 395a31, Thphr. Sign. 11.

IV

in Gramm.,

1 line, verse

line, verse, Sch. Pi. I. 4.63.

2 a critical mark

a critical mark, like ὀβελός, Hsch.

3 stroke

stroke forming a letter, Theodect. 6.6.

In the wild

ῥάβδοι · rhabdoi Aristotle, De Mundo (DIORISIS sentence 79)
ῥάβδῳ · rhabdōi Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 1.7 (DIORISIS sentence 867)
ῥάβδῳ · rhabdōi Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 6.1 (DIORISIS sentence 4688)
ῥάβδου · rhabdou Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 6.1 (DIORISIS sentence 4819)
ῥάβδος · rhabdos Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 6.9 (DIORISIS sentence 5455)
ῥάβδῳ · rhabdōi Epictetus, Discourses 1.16 (DIORISIS sentence 782)

6 of 163 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. ῥάβδος (scan pp. 1320-1321; entry #5270). Root candidates: *urb-.
Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. ῥάβδος (scan p. 984; entry #6911).
Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. ῥάβδος (scan pp. 1608-1609; entry #4929). Root candidates: *urb-.

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