ζῷον

ζῷον, τό,

A living being, animal, Hdt.5.10 (of bees), Ar.V.551, Pl. 443, etc.;

πᾶν ὅ τι περ ἂν μετάσχῃ τοῦ ζῆν ζῷον ἂν λέγοιτο Pl.Ti.77b

; ζῷα, opp. φυτά, Id.Phd.70d, 110e, etc.; ζ. θαλάττιον, χερσαῖον, Phld. Rh.1.98S.; contemptuously, ὅπως ἡ χώρα τοῦ τοιούτου ζῴου καθαρὰ γίγνηται may be free from this kind of animal (i.e. beggars), Pl.Lg. 936c; ζ. πονηρόν, of women, Secund.Sent.8.

II in art, figure, image, not necessarily of animals (cf. ζῴδιον)

, ζῷον δέ οἱ ἐνῆν, ἀνὴρ ἱππεύς Hdt.3.88

: mostly in pl.,

ζῷα ἐς τὴν ἐσθῆτα ἐγγράφειν Id.1.203

, cf. 2.4,124,148, Pl.R.515a, etc.; ζῷα γράψασθαι τὴν ζεῦξιν τοῦ Βοσπόρου to have pictures of the bridging of the Bosporus painted, Hdt.4.88; cf. ζωγραφέω:

ζῷα ποιεῖν Plu.Per.13

.

III sign of the Zodiac, Man.2.166.—The word is post-Hom., no generic word used for animal being found till after the middle of the fifth cent. B.C. (

ζώϊον Semon.13

, whence [dialect] Att. ζῷον by contraction: ι is found in IG12.372.42, al.,11(2).161B76 (Delos, iii B.C.), Phld.Rh.2.166S., and in codd. opt. in the Noun; the Adj. ζωός (q.v.) had no ι: for the compds. (exc. ζωγλύφος, ζωγράφος) decisive evidence is lacking: ζῳάγρια with ι was read by Aristarch. in Il.18.407.)