ὄστρεον

English (LSJ)

or ὄστρειον, τό,

   A oyster; the proper Att. form is ὄστρειον (ὄστρεια . . ἔλεγον οἱ ἀρχαῖοι Ath.3.92e, cf. Moer.p.285 P. (who recommends ὀστρία [ῑ] wrongly), Phot., etc.), and this is required by the metre in the earlier Poets, κόγχοι, μύες, κὤστρεια A.Fr.34; ὄστρεια συμμεμυκότα Epich.42 (ὄστρεα codd. Ath.); πίννῃσι καὶ ὀστρείοισιν ὁμοίη Cratin.8; πίνναι, λεπάδες, μύες, ὄστρεια Anaxandr.41.61 (anap.); while ὄστρεον is used in late Ep., Matro Conv.16, Nic.Fr.83, and is found in Pap., PCair.Zen.82.13 (iii B. C.), POxy.738.5 (i A. D.):—the readings vary in Pl. (v. infr. III), as in Arist., cf. HA490b10, 525a20: generally, of all bivalves, ib.525a20, 528a1, Fr.304, Gal.12.345.    II oyster- or bivalve-shell, Arist.HA531b5, 590a32.    III purple pigment, prob. that produced by the murex, cf. Arist.HA548a12; ὄστρεον μόνον ἐπιφέρειν Pl.Cra.424d; ὀστρείῳ ἐναληλιμμένος Id.R.420c; τὰ σώματα ἐκέχριντο ὀστρείῳ Callix.2: ὄστρεα· τὰ κογχύλια, Αάκωνες ἄνθος, Hsch.