- ἄωτον
- ἄωτον [ᾰ], τό, and [full] ἄωτος, ὁ,A the choicest, the flower of its kind: in Hom. mostly of the finest wool,
οἰὸς ἄωτον Il.13.599
,716, Od.1.443; without οἰός (which must be supplied from the context), flock, down, 9.434; once of the finest linen,λίνοιό τε λεπτὸν ἄωτον Il.9.661
; of the golden fleece,χρύσεον ἄωτον A.R.4.176
, cf. Orph.A.1336; ἄκρον ἄωτον [ὕδατος], of pure water, Call.Ap.112; of the foam on a wave,κύματος ἄκρῳ ἀ. Id.Hec.1.4.3
;μέλιτος ἄ. γλυκύς Pi.Pae.6.59
: freq. in Pi., ἄ. ζωᾶς the prime or flower of life, Id.I.5(4).12; ἄ. στεφάνων the fairest of . . , ib.6(5).4, cf. O.5.1; Χαρίτων ἄ. their fairest gift, Id.I. 8(7).16; σοφίας ἄκρος ἄ. the choicest gift of minstrel's art, ib.7(6).18; ἄ. γλώσσας, i.e. a song, ib.1.51;ὕμνων Id.P.10.53
;δίκας ἄ. Id.N.3.29
;Ἀφροδίτας . . ἄωτον A.Supp.666
(lyr.): rarely in pl.,στεφάνων ἄωτοι Pi.O.9.19
;ἡρώων ἄωτοι Id.N.8.9
;ῥόδων ἄωτοι Simon.148
: in Epitaphs, θνῄσκω . . ἀκμᾶς ἐν ἀώτῳ in the flower of youth, IG3.1328;τὸν . . ἄωτον τοῦ δήμου CIG2804
, cf. Epigr.Gr.455.II that which gives honour and glory to a thing, ἄ. ἵππων a song in praise of horses, Pi.O.3.4;χειρῶν ἄ. ἐπίνικον Id.O.8.75
.—The gender is indeterminate in Hom. and A.; Pi. always has ἄωτος, and so Theoc.13.27; A.R. and later [dialect] Ep. ἄωτον (Opp.C.4.154, οἰὸς ἄωτα in pl.).
Greek-English dictionary (Αγγλικά Ελληνικά-λεξικό). 2014.