λόχος

λόχος, ὁ, (λέχομαι): I. ambush, i.e. 1. place for lying in wait, εἰγὰρ νῦν παρὰ νηυσὶ λεγοίμεθα πάντες ἄριστοι ἐς λ. Il. 13.277; ἐκ λ. ἀμπήδησε 11.379; κοῖλος λ., of the wooden horse, Od. 4.277, 8.515; ξεστὸς λ. E. Tr. 534 (lyr.); ὠδίνων λ. Lyc. 342; ξύλινος λ., of the enemyʼs ships, Orac. ap.Hdt. 3.57. 2. ambuscade, ἐσίζεσθαι λόχον ἀνδρῶν take up oneʼs post in ambush, Il. 13.285; λόχον εἷσαι place an ambush, 4.392, Od. 4.531; εἷσε δέ μιν κρύψασα λόχῳ Hes. Th. 174; λόχον ἀρτύνειν Od. 14.469; λόχονδʼ ἰέναι Il. 1.227; ὁπότε κρίνοιμι λόχονδε ἄνδρας ἀριστῆας Od. 14.217; φύτευέ οἱ θάνατον ἐκ λόχου Pi. N. 4.60; δεινοῖς κρυπτομένα λόχοις Ἐρινύς S. El. 490 (lyr.); τὸν εὔαγρον τελειῶσαὶ λ. Id. OC 1089 (lyr.). b. c. gen. objecti, λόχος θείοιο γέροντος the way to ambush him, Od. 4.395. 3. the men that form the ambush, μὴ λ. εἰσέλθῃσι πόλιν Il. 8.522, cf. E. Andr. 1114, etc. b. any armed band, body of troops (of foot, rarely of horse, Arr. Alan. 20), Od. 20.49; also in Trag., A. Th. 56, 460, S. OC 1371, etc.: metaph., παρθένων ἱκέσιος λ. A. Th. 111 (lyr.); θαυμαστὸς λ. γυναικῶν, of the Furies, Id. Eu. 46, cf. 1026; ἐλάφων κεραὸς λ. AP 9.244 (Apollonid.); ἐμῶν προγόνων λ. OGI 383.48 (Nemrud Dagh, i B.C.). c. in historical writers, mostly, a company, reckoned at 24 men in X. Cyr. 6.3.21, but at 100 in Id. An. 3.4.21, 4.8.15; in the Spartan army, the fourth or fifth part of a μόρα (q.v.), Hdt. 9.53,57, cf. Th. 5.68, Arist. Fr. 541, etc.; ὁ Πιτανάτης λ. Th. 1.20; ὁ ἱερὸς λ. the sacred company at Thebes, Din. 1.73, Plu. Pel. 18; also at Carthage, D.S. 16.80, 20.10; later λ., = 16 men, Ascl. Tact. 2.7, Ael. Tact. 4.3, Arr. Tact. 5.5; but of light-armed, 8 men, Ascl.l.c., Arr. Tact. 14.2. d. any body of people united for civil purposes, X. Hier. 9.5, Arist. Pol. 1309a12; αἱ ἐν λόχοις συντέλειαι (where λόχοι seems to represent συμμορίαι) Catal. ap. D. 18.106. e. = Lat. centuria, D.H. 4.16, App. BC 1.59, etc. f. = Lat. curia, D.H. 2.7. II. child-birth, A. Ag. 137 (lyr.): pl., Id. Supp. 677 (lyr.). III. dub. sens. in SIG 1002.8 (Milet., v/iv B.C.).