ὄνυξ

ὄνυξ, ῠχος, ὁ, Hom. only in [dialect] Ep. dat. pl. ὀνύχεσσι, and always of the eagle,

A talons, claws, Il.8.248, al. ; so of the falcon, Hes.Op.204, 205, Ar.Av.1180 ; so of beasts of prey, Pi.N.4.63, Hdt.3.108 ; of the crocodile, Id.2.68 ; of the Sphinx, E.El.471 (lyr.); of human beings, nail, Hes.Sc.266, Hdt.4.64, etc.;

τοὺς ὄνυχας τῶν δακτύλων Ar.Av.8

; of horses and oxen, hoof, X.Eq.1.3, Ap9.64 (Asclep. or Arch.): Arist. speaks of the hoof ([etym.] ὁπλή) as homologous to the nail or claw ([etym.] ὄνυξ), HA486b20, PA690a9: metaph.,

πρὸς ὀξύν γ' ὄ. πετραίου λίθου E.Cyc.401

codd. (leg. στόνυχα) :—Special phrases :

1 εἰς ἄκρους τοὺς ὄ. ἀφίκετο (sc. ὁ οἶνος) warmed me to my fingers' ends, ib.159; so

ἐκ κορυφῆς εἰς ἄκρους ὄ. AP9.709

(Phil.), cf. 12.93 (Rhian.) ; so also ἐξ ὀνύχων from the fingers' ends, ib.5.13 (Rufin.), Plu.2.3c ; but ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀ. from childhood, Horace's de tenero ungui, AP5.128 (Autom.).

2 ὄνυχας ἐπ' ἄκρους στάς on tiptoe, E.El.840 ;

ἐπ' ἄκρων ἐβάδιζε τῶν ὀ. Macho

ap.Ath.8.349b.

3 ὅταν ἐν ὄνυχι ὁ πηλὸς γένηται, i. e. when the model reaches the nail stage, because the sculptor puts the finishing touches to the model with his nail, Polyclit. ap. Plu. 2.636c, cf. Plu.2.86a ; so ἡ δι' ὄνυχος δίαιτα a most careful, close life, ib. 128e ;

τὸν Λυσιακὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐκμέμακται εἰς ὄνυχα

ad unguem expressit,

D.H. Dem.13

; σύμπηξις εἰς ὄνυχα a nice fit, Gal.2.737 ;

τὰς γωνίας ἐπ' ὄνυχος συμβεβλημένας ἔχειν Ph.Bel.66.37

;

πρὸς ὄνυχα τὴν προσκαρτέρησιν ποιεῖσθαι Phld.Rh.1.11S.

; cf.

ὀνυχίζω 111

, ἐξονυχίζω.

4 ὀδοῦσι καὶ ὄνυξι καὶ πάσῃ μηχανῇ, i.e. in every possible way, Luc. DMort.11.4.

5 ἐξ ὀνύχων λέοντα (sc. τεκμαίρεσθαι) to judge by the claws, i. e. by a slight but characteristic mark, Alc.113, Apostol. 7.57.

II anything like a claw,

1 fluke of an anchor, Plu.2.247e.

2 an instrument fixed by a surgeon to his finger, Hp.Superf. 7, Gal.19.107.

3 ὄ. σιδηροῦς tool used for scraping the 'figs' of the συκάμινος, Thphr.HP4.2.1 (pl.) ; also for making incisions to extract gum of balsam, ib.9.6.2(pl.).

4 κλιμακίδοιν τοὺς ὄ., τῶν πλαισίων τοὺς ὄ., dub. sens. in IG12.373.208,212, cf. 372 E10.

III anything like the nail:

1 the white part at the end of rose-petals by which they are attached to the stalk, Dsc.1.99.

2 hypopyon, an accumulation of pus in the eye resembling a nail-paring, Aët.7.30 tit. (pl.), Paul.Aeg.3.22.23.

3 part of the liver, Ruf.Onom.180, Sch.Nic.Th.560.

4 veined gem, onyx, LXX Jb.28.16, Aristeas66, J.BJ5.5.7 ;

Σαρδῷος ὄ.

sardonyx,

Luc.Syr.D.32

(cf. σαρδόνυξ) ;

ὄ. σφραγίς IG22.1388.86

, cf. 12.282.128.

5 an aromatic substance, onycha, LXX Ex.30.34, Damocr. ap. Gal.13.226, Dsc.2.8, POxy.1142.4(iii A. D.).

6 = ἀστράγαλος VII, Ps.-Dsc.4.61.

7 operculum of the κογχύλιον, Dsc.2.8, Gal.13.320, Orib.5.77.1, Paul.Aeg.7.3 ; of the πορφύρα, Dsc.Eup.2.92.

8 a shell-fish, supposed female of σωλήν, prob. Lithodomus, Xenocr. ap. Orib.2.58.106 (pl.).

9

ὄνυχες θαλάσσιοι

sea-weed,

Ps.-Democr.

Alch.p.42 B. (Cf. Lat. unguis, Skt. nakhás 'nail', etc.)