ὀφθαλμός, ὁ, (ὄπωπ-α, ὀφ-θῆναι, see at {ὄψ} B)
eye, used by [
Refs 8th c.BC+] mostly in
plural; ὀφθαλμοὶ δ᾽ ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν. ἀτρέμας ἐν βλεφάροισι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: the
plural continued most common, but the dual also occurs, as in [
Refs 5th c.BC+] before one's
eyes, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν, ὁρᾶσθαι, etc,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρᾶν, νοεῖν, to see before one's
eyes,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔχειν ἐν ὀ. to have before one's
eyes, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ἐν ὀ. what is before one's
eyes, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὀ. δὴ γελοῖον what was ridiculous
to the eye, [
Refs]; ἐπίπροσθε τῶν ὀ. [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; γενέσθαι τινὶ ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν to get out of any one's
sight, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγειν τινί to tell one
to one's face, opposed to εἰς οὖς, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τυράννου κατ᾽ ὀ. κατηγορεῖν to accuse him to his
face, [
Refs 5th c.BC+],
by eye, [
Refs];
eyes were painted on the bows of vessels, βλοσυροῖς κατὰ πρῷραν ὀφθαλμοῖς οἷον βλέπει [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]; whence the joke in [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
2) στέρησις ὀφθαλμῶν temporary loss of
sight, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II) in
singular,
the eye of a master or ruler, πάντα ἰδὼν Διὸς ὀ. [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀκοίμητος ὀ, of God, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]; so a king is called ὀ. οἴκων [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; and in Persia ὀφθαλμὸς βασιλέως
the king's eye was a confidential officer, through whom he beheld his kingdom and subjects, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; compare οὖς.
III)
the eye of heaven, ἑσπέρας ὀ, νυκτὸς ὀ, of the moon, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; also οὐράνιος ὀ, of the sun, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
IV)
the dearest, best, as the eye is the most precious part of the body, hence of men, ὀ. Σικελίας, στρατιᾶς, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; also,
light, cheer, comfort, μέγας [γ᾽] ὀ. οἱ πατρὸς τάφοι [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
V)
eye or
bud of a plant or tree, [
Refs 7th c.BC+]
VI)
a surgical bandage covering one or both eyes, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
VII) Architecture texts, in dual, the
disks forming the centres of the volutes of an Ionic capital, [
Refs]