λᾱός, ὁ,
Ionic dialect ληός [
Refs 6th c.BC+] (variant{λαόν}, which is in all Mss. in [
Refs 6th c.BC+];
Attic dialect λεώς, which is also used in [
Refs 5th c.BC+] and in late Prose, as Foed.Byzantine cited in [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
1) in [
Refs 8th c.BC+] (λαοί) usually means
men, i.e. soldiers, both of the whole army and smaller divisions, κριτὸς ἔγρετο λ. Ἀχαιῶν [
Refs];
periphrastic, στρατὸς λαῶν[
Refs]; mostly including both
foot and horse, as [
Refs]; but sometimes λαός denotes
foot, as opposed to horse, [
Refs]; also,
a land army, opposed to a fleet, [
Refs]; also,
the common men, opposed to their leaders, [
Refs]; but
2) in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], almost always means
men or
people; as
subjects of a prince, e.g. [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; λαοὶ ἀγροιῶται country-
folk, [
Refs];
work-people, [
Refs]; of
sailors, [
Refs 8th c.BC+] seafaring
folk, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: in
singular,
slave, τὸν Εὐρυσθέως λεών, of Heracles, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; and so perhaps λεὼς αὔτοικος [
Refs], i.e.
mankind, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; λ. ἐγχώριοι the natives,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; especially in Egypt, of the fellahin, [
Refs 3rd c.BC+];
civil population, opposed to priests and soldiers, [
Refs 3rd c.BC+]
3)
people assembled, as in the theatre, ὁ πολὺς λαῶν ὄχλος [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially in the Ecclesia, αἱ στίχες τῶν λαῶν [
Refs] hear
O people!—the usual way of beginning proclamations at Athens, like our [
Refs 6th c.BC+]; τιμῶσιν οἱ πάντες λεῴ[
Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ πολὺς λεώς
the multitude, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
4) in LXX, of
the people, as opposed to priests and Levites, [
NT]; of [
NT]
II)
a people, i.e. all who are called by one name, first in [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἱππόται λαοί, i.e. the Thessalians, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
people and λᾶος
stone (compare λᾶας) is implied in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; and so [
Refs 5th c.BC+] explains the word from the legend of Deucalion, [
Refs 5th c.BC+] (From λᾱϝ, as shown by the
proper noun Λαϝοπτόλεμος [
Refs]