ναῦς
αὐτὸν κέκρουκας τὸν βατῆρα τοῦ λόγου → you have struck the very threshold of the argument, you have struck the most important and chiefmost point
English (LSJ)
ἡ, (v. infr.)
A ship, Hom., etc. (but rare in non-literary Hellenistic Greek, once in NT, Act.Ap.27.41, πλοῖον being generally used); ἐν νήεσσι or ἐν νηυσίν at the ships, i.e. in the camp formed by the ships drawn up on shore, Il.2.688, 11.659; νῆες μακραί ships of war, built long and taper for speed, Th.1.41, etc.; opp. νῆες στρογγύλαι round-built merchant-ships, Hdt.1.163, etc.; νέες alone, = τριήρεις, opp. πεντηκόντεροι, Id.8.1; νῆες κεναί, i.e. without fighting men in them, D.3.5; ναῦς μακρά collective for μακραί, A.Pers.380.— Att. decl. ναῦς, νεώς, νηΐ, ναῦν, dual gen. νεοῖν, pl. νῆες, νεῶν (νηῶν is v.l. in Lys.13.15), ναυσί, ναῦς; in later writers, nom. pl. ναῦς, acc. pl. νῆας, D.S.13.13, Plb.5.2.4, etc., cf. Phryn.147:— Ep. νηῦς, νηός, νηΐ, νῆα, pl. νῆες, νηῶν, νηυσί or νήεσσι, νῆας (but also gen. and acc. sg. νεός, νέα [the latter as monosyll. in Od.9.283], pl. νέες, νεῶν, νέεσσι, νέας); Ep. gen. and dat. pl. ναῦφι, -φιν, Il.2.794, 16.281, Od.14.498; in late Ep., nom. νῆυς dub. l. in Mosch.2.104, cf. EM440.17; acc. sg. and pl. νηῦν, νηῦς, A.R.1.1358, Herod.2.3, Dem. Bith.4.6: Hdn.Gr.1.401, 2.675,553 also gives νεῦς, νεΐ (v.l. in Hdt. 7.184), and νευσί (Hp.Ep.27, Sammelb.5829):—Ion. νηῦς, νεός, νηΐ, νέα, pl. νέες, νεῶν, νηυσί (νηυσίν Epigr. in IG12(8).683 (Thasos, vi/v B. C.)), νέας (but νηός Archil.(?) in PLit.Lond.54; νηός is freq. in codd. of Hdt., νηῶν 7.160):—Dor. ναῦς (νᾶς Hdn.Gr.1.400), νᾱός Pi. P.4.185, al., νᾱΐ Id.O.13.54, al. (νᾷ perh. to be read in Alcm.23 iii 27), ναῦν Pi.P.4.245, Fr.234 (νᾶν Hdn.Gr.1.328, νᾶα B.16.89); pl. νᾶες Pi.O.12.4,al., ναῶν Id.P.1.74, ναυσί, ναυσίν, Id.N.7.29, P.3.68 (νάεσσι ib.4.56), νᾶας f.l. in Theoc.22.17:—Aeol. sg. gen. νᾶος, dat. νᾶϊ, pl. dat. νάεσσι, Alc.19,18,79, gen. νᾱων Id.Supp.12.9, Sapph. Supp.5.2:—Trag. commonly use Dor. forms in lyr., Att. in dialogue (but sts. ναός, ναῶν, A.Th.62, Pers.340, etc.); the Ep. forms νηός S. Fr.761, νηῶν E.IT1485, νῆας A.Supp.744 (lyr.), νηυσίν Id.Pers.370 (cod. M) are prob. corrupt. (Cf. Skt. naús, Lat. nāvis, etc.)
