βοῦς

English (LSJ)

Dor. βῶς Theoc.9.7, GDI5005.5 (Gortyn), ὁ and ἡ: gen. βοός (written βοιός GDIiv p.883 No.62 (Erythrae)), poet. also

   A βοῦ A. Fr.421, S.Fr.280: acc. βοῦν IG12.45A11, etc., βῶν Il.7.238 and Dor., IG4.914.18, al. (Epid.), SIG56.16 (Argos), Theoc.27.64, Ion. and poet. also βόα Pherecyd.162 J., AP9.255 (Phil.): dual βόε Hes.Op. 436: pl., nom. βόες, rarely contr. βοῦς Ar.Fr.760, Plu.Aem.33, etc.: gen.βοῶν, contr. βῶν Hes.Th.983; Bocot. βουῶν IG7.3171.45: dat. βουσί, Ep. βόεσσι, βοσί AP7.622 (Antiphil.); Boeot. βούεσσι IG7.3171.38: acc. βόας Il.5.556, al., βοῦς 1.154, al., S.Aj.175 (lyr.), and Att., Antiph. 172.5, etc. (but later βόας Ev.Jo.2.14, POxy.729.16 (ii A. D.), etc.):—bullock, bull, ox, or cow, in pl. cattle, commonly fem.: to mark the male Hom. adds a word, β. ἄρσην Il.20.495; or ταῦρος β. 17.389; as a measure of value, βοὸς ἄξιον 23.885, cf. 7.474 and v. ἀλφεσίβοιος, ἑκατόμβοιος.    b βοῦς ἄγριος buffalo, Arist.HA499a4.    c βοῦς ἐν Συρίᾳ zebu, ib.606a15; β. ἐν Παιονίᾳ, perh. urus, Id.Mir.842b33.    d βοὸς ὄμμα, = βούφθαλμος, AP4.1.52 (Mel.).    2 metaph. of any dam or mother, μία β. Κρηθεῖ τε μάτηρ καὶ Σαλμωνεῖ Pi.P.4.142; ἄπεχε τῆς β. τὸν ταῦρον A.Ag.1125.    II = βοείη or βοέη (always fem.), ox-hide shield, νωμῆσαι βῶν Il.7.238; τυκτῇσι βόεσσιν 12.105; βόας αὔας ib.137; γέρρα λευκῶν β. X.An.5.4.12.    III a fish, perh. Notidanus griseus, Arist.HA540b17, Fr. 280.    2 a fish of the Nile, Str.17.2.4.    IV ἔβδομος β. crescent loaf, Clidem.16.    V seam, Poll.7.65.    VI the constellation Taurus, Max.162.    VII = μάστιξ, Hsch.    VIII prov., β. ἐπὶ γλώσσης ἐπιβαίνων Thgn.815; βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ βέβηκε A.Ag.36; of people who keep silence from some weighty reason, τὸν βοῦν ἐπιτίθημι τῇ γλώττῃ Jul.Or.7.218a; βοῦς ἐμβαίνει μέγας Strattis 67 (wrongly expld. by Zen.2.70, etc., of bribery with coins bearing type of ox); β. ἐν πόλει 'bull in a china-shop', Diogcnian.3.67; β. ἐν αὐλίῳ, of a useless person, Cratin.32; β. λύρας 'pearls before swine', Macho ap.Ath.8.349c. (βοῦς (from βωύς, Skt. gaús) acc. βῶν (Skt. gā´m) are old forms: stem βωϝ-βοϝ-, cf. Lat. (Umbr.) bos, etc.)