ἄωτον

ἄωτον [ᾰ], τό, and ἄωτος, ὁ, A. the choicest, the flower of its kind: in Hom. mostly of the finest wool, οἰὸς ἄωτον Il. 13.599,716, Od. 1.443; without οἰός (which must be supplied from the context), flock, down, 9.434; once of the finest linen, λίνοιό τε λεπτὸν ἄωτον Il. 9.661; of the golden fleece, χρύσεον ἄωτον A.R. 4.176, cf. Orph. A. 1336; ἄκρον ἄωτον [ὕδατος], of pure water, Call. Ap. 112; of the foam on a wave, κύματος ἄκρῳ ἀ. Id. Hec. 1.4.3; μέλιτος ἄ. γλυκύς Pi. Pae. 6.59: freq. in Pi., ἄ. ζωᾶς the prime or flower of life, Id. I. 5(4).12; ἄ. στεφάνων the fairest of . . , ib.6(5).4, cf. O. 5.1; Χαρίτων ἄ. their fairest gift, Id. I. 8(7).16; σοφίας ἄκρος ἄ. the choicest gift of minstrelʼs art, ib.7(6).18; ἄ. γλώσσας, i.e. a song, ib.1.51; ὕμνων Id. P. 10.53; δίκας ἄ. Id. N. 3.29; Ἀφροδίτας . . ἄωτον A. Supp. 666 (lyr.): rarely in pl., στεφάνων ἄωτοι Pi. O. 9.19; ἡρώων ἄωτοι Id. N. 8.9; ῥόδων ἄωτοι Simon. 148: in Epitaphs, θνῄσκω . . ἀκμᾶς ἐν ἀώτῳ in the flower of youth, IG 3.1328; τὸν . . ἄωτον τοῦ δήμου CIG 2804, cf. Epigr.Gr. 455. II. that which gives honour and glory to a thing, ἄ. ἵππων a song in praise of horses, Pi. O. 3.4; χειρῶν ἄ. ἐπίνικον Id. O. 8.75.—The gender is indeterminate in Hom. and A.; Pi. always has ἄωτος, and so Theoc. 13.27; A.R. and later Ep. ἄωτον (Opp. C. 4.154, οἰὸς ἄωτα in pl.).