LOGOI

The corpus record

τηλέφῐλον

telephilon · τό

love-in-absence

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

What it meant

τηλέφῐλον · tēlephilon — LSJ

love-in-absence

love-in-absence, the leaf of some plant used as a charm by lovers to try whether their love was returned; the leaf was laid on the hand or arm and struck smartly, and its adhesion (or a loud crack, or a red colour, acc. to Sch.) was a favourable omen, οὐδὲ τὸ τηλέφιλον ποτεμάξατο τὸ πλατάγημα Theoc. 3.29, cf. Sch. ad loc., Poll. 9.127; τηλεφίλου πλαταγήματος ἠχέτα βόμβος γαστέρα μαντῴου μάξατο κισσυβίου AP 5.295 (Agath.).

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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