ψάμαθος: Difference between revisions

|Definition=ἡ (poet., also in a Homeric paraphrase, Plu.2.393e), <span class="sense"><span class="bld">A</span> [[sand of the sea-shore]], ἔρειπε δὲ τεῖχος Ἀχαιῶν... ὡς ὅτε τις ψάμαθον πάϊς ἄγχι θαλάσσης . . συνέχευε <span class="bibl">Il.15.362</span>; ψαμάθῳ εἰλυμένα πολλῇ <span class="bibl">Od. 14.136</span>; ἀμφὶ χλωρὰν ψ. <span class="bibl">S.<span class="title">Aj.</span>1064</span>; παρακτία ψ. <span class="bibl">E.<span class="title">IA</span>165</span> (lyr.), cf. <span class="bibl">1054</span> (lyr.); παρὰ ψ. καὶ θῖν' ἁλός <span class="bibl">Ar.<span class="title">V.</span>1520</span> (lyr.): freq. in plural, νῆα μὲν οἵ γε μέλαιναν ἐπ' ἠπείροιο ἔρυσσαν ὑψοῦ ἐπὶ ψαμάθοις, ὑπὸ δ' ἕρματα μακρὰ τάνυσσαν = they pushed the black ship up over the sand onto dry land and placed long beams under her <span class="bibl">Il.1.486</span>; ἐπὶ ψαμάθοις ἁλίῃσι <span class="bibl">Od.3.38</span>, cf. <span class="bibl">4.438</span>; of [[river-sand]], <span class="bibl">Il.21.202</span>, <span class="bibl">319</span>. </span><span class="sense"><span class="bld">2</span> [[proverb|prov.]] of a [[countless]] [[multitude]], [[ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε]] = as [[many]] as [[sand]] and [[dust]] ib.<span class="bibl">9.385</span>: pl., [[grains of sand]], φύλλοισιν ἐοικότες ἢ ψαμάθοισιν <span class="bibl">2.800</span>; ὁπόσαι ἐν θαλάσσᾳ καὶ ποταμοῖς ψάμαθοι κλονέονται <span class="bibl">Pi.<span class="title">P.</span>9.47</span>. (Perh. formed by combining [[ψάμμος]] and [[ἄμαθος]]; similarly [[ἄμμος]] (ἅμμος) by combining [[ἄμαθος]] and [[ψάμμος]]; [[ἄμαθος]] is cogn. with Engl. [[sand]].) </span>