ψαύω

English (LSJ)

Ep. impf.

   A ψαῦον Il.13.132; ψαύεσκον (ἐπι-) Orph.L.126: fut. ψαύσω A.Ch.182, etc.: aor. ἔψαυσα Pi.N.5.42, etc.: pf. ἔψαυκα (παρ-) S.E.M.7.116:—Pass., aor. ἐψαύσθην Dsc.2.14: pf. ἔψαυσμαι (παρ-) Hp.Morb.4.44:—touch, τινος Il.23.519,806, Hdt.2.47. etc.; ἁπτόμενοι καὶ ψ. ἀλλήλων in close contact, Plu.Pyrrh.12: metaph., μὴ ψαύειν ἀδικίας ὃν τρόπον οὐδὲ πυρός Phld.Rh.2.155S.: c. dat. instr., ψαῦον . . κόρυθες . . φάλοισι the helmets touched with their φάλοι, Il.13.132, 16.216; τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ψ. Hdt.3.30; χεροῖν . . ἔψαυσα πηγῆς A.Pers.202; εἰ τῆσδε χώρας μήποτε ψαύσει ποδί Id.Ch.182: but the dat. is used for the gen. in Pi.P.9.120, Herod.4.75, Q.S.8.349 (cf. θιγγάνω 11.3, προσψαύω):—ψαύω never takes acc. exc. in αἵματι ψαῦσαι θύρας Ezek.Exag.158: in S.Ant. 857, ἔψαυσας ἀλγεινοτάτας ἐμοὶ μερίμνας, πατρὸς τριπόλιστον οἶκτον (v.l. οἶτον) , μερίμνας is gen. sg. and οἶκτον or οἶτον is acc. depending on ἔψαυσας . . μερίμνας, = ἐποίησάς με μεριμνᾶν; and ib.961, κεῖνος ἐπέγνω μανίαις ψαύων τὸν θεὸν ἐν κερτομίοις γλώσσαις, the construction is ἐπέγνω τὸν θεόν, ψαύων (sc. αὐτοῦ) he learned to know the god, assailing (him): later writers used the Pass. as if the Act. had a trans. sense, Dsc. l. c., Plu.2.951d.    2 touch lightly. a way of feeling the pulse, opp. θλίβω, Gal.8.808: metaph., touch upon a subject, notice it slightly, Plb.1.13.8:—Med., c. acc. rei, touch lightly upon a subject, Gal.18(1).331.    3 touch as an enemy, lay hands upon, τινος E.IA1559: abs., κλάοις ἄν, εἰ ψαύσειας A.Supp. 925, cf. S.OC856.    4 touch, affect, οὐ γὰρ ἄκρας καρδίας ἔψαυσέ μου E.Hec.242.    5 reach, gain, ὕμνων Pi.N.5.42; ψ. Ἀφροδίτας Id.O. 6.35: abs., hit the mark, AP7.428.11 (Mel.).    6 Math., ἐπίπεδα ψαύοντα tangent planes, Archim.Con.Sph.17.    II rarely in Pass., to be touched, of the star-fish, ἐνδίδωσι τὸ σῶμα καὶ περιορᾷ ψαυόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν παρατρεχόντων Plu.2.978b, cf. 951d (if the comma be placed before, not after, οὐσίας) ; ὅσοι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀμινναίων (sc. οἴνων) ψαύονται κεφαλῆς those who are affected in the head... Dsc. 5.19.—The word is very rare in early Prose, Antipho 3.3.5, X. Mem.1.4.12: freq. later, Plb.1.13.8, al., Plu.2.589f, al.