σημεῖον

σημεῖον, τό, [dialect] Ion. [full] σημήϊον, [dialect] Dor. [full] σᾱμήϊον IG12(3).452 (Thera, iv B.C.), [full] σᾱμεῖον IPE12.352.25 (Chersonesus, ii B.C.), IG5(1).1390.16 (Andania, i B.C.), [full] σᾱμᾶον CIG5168 ([place name] Cyrene):—= σῆμα in all senses, and more common in Prose, but never in Hom. or Hes.:

A mark by which a thing is known, Hdt.2.38;

σημεῖα τῶν δεδικασμένων . ., σημεῖα πάντων ὧν ἔπραξαν Pl.R.614c

; sign of the future, τυραννίδος ς. A.Ag.1355;

σ. λαβεῖν ἔκ τινος E.Hipp.514

; trace, track,

σημεῖα δ' οὔτε θηρὸς οὔτε του κυνῶν . . ἐξεφαίνετο S.Ant.257

, cf. El.886;

τῆς καταβάσεως X.An.6.2.2

; of a cork on a buoy, Paus.8.12.1.

b [dialect] Dor., tomb, IG12(3).452 (iv B.C.), CIGl.c.

2 sign from the gods, omen, S.OC94;

τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν σ. γενόμενα Antipho 5.81

, cf. Pl.Phdr. 244c, Ap.40b, X.Cyr.1.6.1; wonder, portent, LXX Ex.4.8, al.;

σ. καὶ τέρατα Plb.3.112.8

, Ev.Matt.24.24, Ev.Jo.4.48, cf. IPEl.c., D.S.17.114;

φόβηθρα καὶ σ. ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ Ev.Luc.21.11

; esp. of the constellations, regarded as signs,

δύεται σημεῖα E.Rh.529

(lyr.), cf. Ion 1157.

3 sign or signal to do a thing, made by flags, ἀνέδεξε σημήϊον τοῖσι ἄλλοισι ἀνάγεσθαι he made signal for the rest to put to sea, Hdt.7.128; signal for battle, τὰ σ. ἤρθη, κατεσπάσθη, Th.1.49,63, etc.; καθαιρεῖν τὸ ς. to take it down, strike the flag, as a sign of dissolving an assembly, And.1.36; τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ς. Ar.Th.278; ὕστερος ἐλθεῖν τοῦ ς. Id.V.690: generally, signal,

σ. ὑποδηλῶσαί τινι ὅτι . . Id.Th.1011

;

τὰ σ. αὐτοῖς ἤρθη Th.4.42

; τὸ σ. τοῦ πυρός, ὡς εἴρητο, ἀνέσχον ib.111; signal to commence work, [

ἡ] τοῦ σημείου ἄρσις Ath.Mitt.35.403

(Pergam.); σημείῳ ἀβαστάκτῳ, σημείοις ἀβαστάκτοις with unremoved signal (s), of gymnasia, i.e. never closed, IGRom.4.446 (ibid.), Abh.Berl.Akad.1932(5).44(ibid., ii A.D.).

4 standard or flag, on the admiral's ship, Hdt.8.92; on the general's tent, X.Cyr.8.5.13; ἔξω τῶν ς. out of the lines, ib.8.3.19.

b body of troops under one standard or flag, PAmh.2.39.2 (ii B.C.); cf.

σημεία 1.2

.

5 landmark, boundary, limit, ἔξω τῶν σ. τοῦ ὑμετέρου ἐμπορίου out of the limits of your commercial port, D.35.28; of milestones, Plu.CG7, Hdn.2.13.9.

6 device upon a shield, Hdt.1.171, E.Ph.1114; upon ships, figure-head, Ar.Ra.933, Th.6.31, E.IA255 (lyr.).

7 signet on ring, etc., Ar.Eq.952, V.585, Pl.Tht.191d, al., X.HG5.1.30, D.42.2, PRev.Laws 26.5 (iii B.C.); figure, image,

Διὸς κτησίου Anticl.13

; badge,

τρίαιναν σ. θεοῦ A.Supp.218

: pl., written characters,

γράψαι σημήϊα . . φωνῆς IG14.1549

([place name] Rome).

b pl. ([dialect] Dor.) σαμεῖα, stripes, ib.5(1).1390.16 (Andania, i B.C.); clavi· σημεῖα, Gloss.

8 watchword, war-cry, Plb.5.69.8;

ἀπὸ σ. ἑνὸς ἐπιστρέφειν τὰς ναῦς Th.2.90

, cf.X.HG6.2.28.

9 birthmark or distinguishing feature, Wilcken Chr.76.14 (ii A.D.), Sammelb.15.27 (ii A.D.), etc.

II sign, token, indication of anything that is or is to be, S.OT1059, E.Ph.1332;

σ. φαίνεις ἐσθλὸς . . γεγώς S.El.24

, cf. OT710;

τέχνης σ. τῆς ἐμῆς Id.Ant.998

; so later

τὰ σ. τῶν καιρῶν Ev.Matt.16.3

, etc.

2 in reasoning, a sign or proof, Ar.Nu.369, Th.1.6,10, And. 2.25, etc.;

τούτων ὑμῖν σημεῖα δείξω Aeschin.2.103

, cf. 3.46;

τάδε τὰ σ. ὡς . . X.Ages.1.5

;

σ. εἰ . . Pl.Grg.520e

; ὅτι ἀγαθὸς ἦν . ., τοῦτο μέγιστον ς. Id.Min.321b; τὸ μὴ ἐκδυθῆναι οὐδὲν σ. ἐστι is no proof to the contrary, Antipho 2.2.5; also, instance, example, Hp.VM 20; σημεῖον δέ· to introduce an argument, D.21.149, Isoc.4.86,107, etc.

3 in the Logic of Arist., a sign used as a probable argument in proof of a conclusion, opp. τεκμήριον (a demonstrative or certain proof), APr.70a11, SE167b9, Rh.1357a33.

b in Stoic and Epicurean philos., sign as observable basis of inference to the unobserved or unobservable, Epicur.Ep.2p.43U., Phld.Sign.27, al., S.E.M.8.142, al.; περὶ σημείων (dub. sens.), title of work by Zeno, Stoic.1.14.

4 Medic., symptom, Hp.Morb.3.6, 15, Aret.SD1.9, Gal.1.313, 18(2).306.

b = Lat. lenticula, a kind of skin-eruption, Cels.6.5.1.

5 pl., shorthand symbols, Plu.Cat.Mi.23, Gal. Libr.Propr.1, POxy.724.3 (ii A.D.), Lib.Or.42.25.

6 critical mark, Heph.Poëm.p.73C., D.L.3.65.

III = στιγμή, mathematical point, Arist.APo.76b5, Ph.240b3, Euc.Def.1, al.; also ς. (with or without χρόνου) point of time, instant, Arist.Cael.283a11, Ph.262b2sq.

2 in Prosody and Music, unit of time, Aristid.Quint.1.14, Longin.Proll. Heph.5.