θῆλυς

θῆλυς, θήλεια, θῆλυ: [dialect] Ep. fem. θήλεα, acc. pl.

A

-εας Il.5.269

(Hom. has regul. fem.

θήλεια Il.8.7

,al., but also θῆλυς as fem., 10.216,al., as in other poets, v. infr.): [dialect] Ion. fem. θήλεα, θήλεαν, θηλέης, θηλέῃ, pl. θήλεαι, θηλέας, θηλέων, Hdt. and Hp.: gen.

θήλυδος S.Fr.1054

; acc. fem. θηλείην dub. l. in Nic.Al.42, neut. pl.

θήλεια Arat.1068

: [dialect] Ep. also θηλύτερος indicating opposition rather than comparison (cf. ἀρρέντερος)

; θηλύτεραι δὲ γυναῖκες Il.8.520

;

θηλύτεραι δὲ θεαί Od.8.324

;

μάτε ἐρσεναιτέραν μάτε θηλυτέραν Schwyzer 424

(Elis, iv B.C.); in late Prose θηλύτερος, -ύτατος occur as [comp] Comp. and [comp] Sup. (v. infr. 11): (θη- 'suckle', cf. θῆσαι):—female, θήλεια θεός a goddess, Il.8.7; Ἥρη θῆλυς ἐοῦσα being female, 19.97, cf. A.Ag.1231, S.Tr.1062, E.IT621; θήλειαι ἵπποι mares, Od.4.636, etc.; σύες θήλειαι sows, 14.16; ὄϊς θῆλυς a ewe, Il.10.216;

θήλεια μῆλα Arat. 1068

; θήλεια ἔλαφος a hind, Pi.O. 3.29;

θήλεα κάμηλος Hdt.3.102

; ἡ θ. ἵππος ib.86;

θ. ὄρνις S.Fr.477

; ζῷα θ. Pl.Criti.110c; ἄπαις θήλεος γόνου without female issue, Hdt.3.66;

θῆλυς σπορά E.Hec.659

;

θήλειαι γυναῖκες Id.Or.1205

;

θ. κόραι Pl.Lg.764d

: with masc. nouns, ὁ θῆλυς ὀρεύς the she-mule, Arist.HA 577b22;

ἄνθρωπος θῆλυς Id.PA688b31

: masc. pl.,

θήλεις χοροί Critias 1.8D.

; but

μὴ εἶναι θεοὺς ἄρρενας μηδὲ θηλείας Phld.Piet.12

.

b ἡ θήλεα, [dialect] Att. -εια, the female, Hdt.3.109, X.Mem.2.1.4;

ἀλέκτωρ ὥστε θηλείας πέλας A.Ag.1671

(troch.).

c τὸ θ. γένος the female sex, woman-kind, E.Hec.885; τὸ θ. alone, Id.HF536, etc.; opp. τὸ ἄρρεν, Pl.R.454d, Arist.Metaph.988a5; [

ἡ δεῖνα] τέτοκεν θῆλυ PTeb.422.18

(iii A.D.),al.

d of plants and trees, Thphr.HP3.9.1;

θ. κάλαμος Dsc.1.85

;

θῆλυς φοῖνιξ Ach.Tat.1.17

;

θῆλυ βούτομον Thphr.HP4.10.4

.

2 of or belonging to women,

κουράων θῆλυς ἀϋτή Od.6.122

; θήλεα νοῦσος among the Scythians (cf. Ἐνάρεες), Hdt.1.105;

νόμος A. Ch.821

(lyr.);

φύσις Pl.R.453a

;

χάρις APl.4

.<*>87 (Leont.); θ. φόνος murder by women, E.Ba.796.

II metaph., of persons and things,

1 soft, gentle,

θῆλυς ἐέρση Od.5.467

, Hes.Sc.395; θ. νύξ ( = ὕπομβρος) S.Fr.1053.

b

ὕδωρ θ. καὶ μαλακόν Thphr.CP2.6.3

; θηλυτέρα ὀσμή ib.6.15.4; θηλύτατον πεδίον most fruitful, Call.Fr. 296; θηλύτατον ὕδωρ of the Nile, Id.Sos.vii 5.

2 tender, delicate,

Φοίβου θήλειαι . . παρειαί Id.Ap.37

; θῆλυς ἀπὸ χροιῆς delicate of skin, Theoc.16.49; of temper or character, soft, yielding, weak,

θῆλυς ηὕρημαι τάλας S.Tr.1075

;

γυνὴ δὲ θῆλυ κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυ E.Med.928

;

θήλεια φρήν Ar.Lys.708

, cf. E.Andr.181;

δίαιτα θηλυτέρα ἢ κατ' ἄνδρα Plu.Mar.34

;

θηλύτατος Luc.Im.13

;

παλλακὴ -υτάτη Philostr.VS2.21.2

; τὸ θῆλυ τῆς ψυχῆς effeminacy, Men.599.

3 in mechanics, those parts were called female into which others fitted, as the female vertebra, Poll.2.180;

γίγγλυμος J.AJ3.6.3

.

4 Gramm., feminine, θήλεα [ὀνόματα] Ar.Nu.682;

θήλεα Arist.Po.1458a10

.

5 Pythag., of even numbers, Plu.2.264a, 288d.

6 Astrol., of planets, Ptol. Tetr.19; cf.

θηλυκός 3c

.

III θήλειαι, αἱ, kind of cheese made in Crete, Seleuc. ap. Ath.14.650d.