ληκύθιον
τί δὲ βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, τὴν δὲ ἐν τῷ σῷ ὀφθαλμῷ δοκὸν οὐ κατανοεῖς → why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye | and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye | why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye
English (LSJ)
τό, Dim. of λήκυθος,
A small oil flask, Ar.Ra.1200-1246, D.24.114, PTeb.221 (ii B.C.), Anon. ap. Suid., etc.
II name for the Trochaic hephthemimer, originating with the form ληκύθιον ἀπώλεσεν in Ar.l.c., Heph.6.2.
German (Pape)
[Seite 39] τό, dim. von λήκυθος, Oelfläschlein, Ar. Ran. 1200 ff., Dem. 24, 114 u. Sp.
French (Bailly abrégé)
ου (τό) :
petite fiole à huile.
Étymologie: λήκυθος.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
ληκύθιον: [ῠ], τό, ὑποκορ. τοῦ λήκυθος, μικρὸν φιαλίδιον ἐλαίου, Ἀριστοφ. Βάτρ. 1200-1242 (πρβλ. λήκυθος Ι. 2), Δημ. 736. 7, Ἀνών. παρὰ Σουΐδ., κτλ. 2) = λήκυθος Ι. 2, Συνέσ. 55C. ΙΙ. ὄνομα τῆς τροχαϊκῆς ἑφθημιμερίδος λαβούσης τὴν ἀρχήν της ἐκ τοῦ τύπου, ληκύ
Greek Monolingual
ληκύθιον, τὸ (Α) λήκυθος
1. μικρό δοχείο, φιαλίδιο για λάδι ή μύρο
2. ονομ. της τροχαϊκής εφθημιμερίδος που προήλθε από τον στίχο του Αριστοφ. ληκύ/θιον απ/ώλεσ/εν (Βάτρ. 1246).
Greek Monotonic
ληκύθιον: [ῠ], τό, υποκορ. του λήκυθος, μικρή φιάλη λαδιού, σε Αριστοφ.
Russian (Dvoretsky)
ληκύθιον: (ῠ) τό пузырек для масла Arph., Dem.
Middle Liddell
ληκῠ́θιον, ου, τό, [Dim. of λήκυθος,]
a small oil-flask, Ar.
English (Woodhouse)
Wikipedia EN
A lekythion or lecythion, in classical Greek and Latin poetry, is a metric pattern (colon) defined by a sequence of seven alternating long and short syllables at the end of a verse (—u—x—u—). In classical grammatical terminology it can be described as a trochaic dimeter catalectic, i.e. a combination of two groups of two trochees each (—u—x), with the second of these groups lacking its final syllable; or as a trochaic hepthemimer, i.e. a trochaic sequence of seven half-feet. A lekythion can appear in several different metric contexts in different types of poetry, either alone as a verse or as the second of two cola following a caesura. A frequent type of occurrence in Greek drama is in lines of iambic trimeter, the most frequent metre used in spoken dialogue, i.e. lines of the type x—u—|x—u—|x—u—. These lines may have a metric caesura after the first five syllables, with the remaining line thus resulting in a lekythion group.
The term "lēkythion" literally means "small oil-flask" (from ληκύθιον, the diminutive form of λήκυθος, lēkythos). The term was coined in reference to a passage in the comedy The Frogs by Aristophanes, in which the two poets Aeschylus and Euripides are engaged in a comic debate criticizing each other's works. Aeschylus makes Euripides recite the beginnings of several of his tragic prologues (all in iambic trimeter), each time interrupting him and interjecting the same phrase "... lost his little oil flask" ("ληκύθιον ἀπώλεσεν"), wherever the verse offers an opportunity, which is frequently the case because of Euripides' propensity to use a metric caesura after the first five syllables.
Below, as an example, is one of the original passages of Euripides (from the prologue of Iphigenia in Tauris), followed by the same passage as parodied in The Frogs. In both cases, the metric lēkythion part is highlighted in green; metric foot boundaries are marked with "|" and metric caesuras with "¦".
Wikipedia DE
Lekythion (griechisch ληκύθιον „Ölfläschchen“, vgl. Lekythos) ist die Bezeichnung für einen katalektischen trochäischen Dimeter nach dem Schema —◡—◡ˌ—◡— Die Bezeichnung leitet sich aus einem Aristophanes-Zitat (Die Frösche 1208 ff.) her. Hier wird im Gespräch zwischen Aischylos und Euripides mehrfach der Satz ληκυθιον απωλεσεν (lekythion apolesen „er verlor das Fläschchen“) wiederholt, der immer als Teil des Trimeters hinter der Hauptzäsur steht. Damit wird die formale Glätte, die das Einsetzen der immer gleichen Formel erlaubt, parodiert. Aufgrund des Textzusammenhanges wurde mitunter auch die Bezeichnung Euripideum für das Lekythion verwendet. Das Lekythion ist beispielsweise bei Alkman und Euripides zu finden; auch in den Asynarteten des Archilochos taucht es auf. Hier steht es hinter einem Hemiepes. Insbesondere mit vorangestelltem kretischem Dimeter wird der Vers auch als Euripideion bezeichnet.
