κύβος

English (LSJ)

[ῠ, v. sub fin.], ὁ,

   A cube, Ti.Locr.98c; esp.cubical die, marked on all six sides, mostly in pl., dice, Hdt.1.94, etc.; κύβων βολαί S. Fr.429; ἐν πτώσει κύβων Pl.R.604c; περὶ κύβους τὰς διατριβὰς ποιούμενοι Lys.16.11: prov., ἀεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κ., i.e. God's work is no mere chance, S.Fr.895; ἔργον ἐν κύβοις Ἄρης κρινεῖ A.Th. 414; ἄλλα βλήματ' ἐν κύβοις βαλεῖν E.Supp.330; ψυχὴν προβάλλοντ' ἐν κύβοισι δαίμονος Id.Rh.183: later in sg., οἶδ' ὅτι ῥιπτῶ πάντα κύβον κεφαλῆς . . ὕπερθεν ἐμῆς AP5.24 (Phld.); τὸν περὶ τῶν ὅλων ἀναρρίψων κύβον Plu.Fab.14, cf. Luc.Pr.Im.16; ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀναρρίπτειν τὸν κ. Id.Harm.3; ἀνερρίφθω κ., Lat.jacta esto alea, Men.65.4, Plu.Caes. 32; ἔσχατον κύβον ἀφιέναι try one's luck for the last time, Id.Cor. 3.    2 of the single pips on the dice, βέβληκ' Ἀχιλλεὺς δύο κύβω καὶ τέσσαρα he has thrown two aces and a four, E.Fr.888: prov., τρὶς ἓξ . . ἢ τρεῖς κύβους βάλλειν 'all or nothing', Pl.Lg.968e, cf. Pherecr. 124.    3 in pl., gaming-table, Hermipp.27.    II cubic number, Pl. R.528b, Arist.APo.76b8.    III anything of cubic shape: vertebra, Rhian.57.    2 block of stone, PCair.Zen.276 (iii B.C.); of wood, IG22.463.57, 7.3073.187 (Lebad., ii B.C.).    3 piece of salt fish, Alex.187.4.    4 kind of cubic cake, Eup.424, Heraclid. ap. Ath.3.114a.    5 hollow above the hips of cattle, Simaristus ib.9.399b.    6 part of an irrigation-machine, BGU1546 (iii B.C.), PLond.3.1177.216 (ii A.D.). [κῦβος only in late Poets, AP14.8; coebus Aus.Idyll.11.3.]