ψαύω

ψαύω, Ep. impf. ψαῦον Il. 13.132; ψαύεσκον (ἐπι-) Orph. L. 126: fut. ψαύσω A. Ch. 182, etc.: aor. ἔψαυσα Pi. N. 5.42, etc.: pf. ἔψαυκα (παρ-) S.E. M. 7.116:—Pass., aor. ἐψαύσθην Dsc. 2.14: pf. ἔψαυσμαι (παρ-) Hp. Morb. 4.44:—A. touch, τινος Il. 23.519,806, Hdt. 2.47. etc.; ἁπτόμενοι καὶ ψ. ἀλλήλων in close contact, Plu. Pyrrh. 12: metaph., μὴ ψαύειν ἀδικίας ὃν τρόπον οὐδὲ πυρός Phld. Rh. 2.155S.: c. dat. instr., ψαῦον . . κόρυθες . . φάλοισι the helmets touched with their φάλοι, Il. 13.132, 16.216; τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ψ. Hdt. 3.30; χεροῖν . . ἔψαυσα πηγῆς A. Pers. 202; εἰ τῆσδε χώρας μήποτε ψαύσει ποδί Id. Ch. 182: but the dat. is used for the gen. in Pi. P. 9.120, Herod. 4.75, Q.S. 8.349 (cf. θιγγάνω II.3, προσψαύω):—ψαύω never takes acc. exc. in αἵματι ψαῦσαι θύρας Ezek. Exag. 158: in S. Ant. 857, ἔψαυσας ἀλγεινοτάτας ἐμοὶ μερίμνας, πατρὸς τριπόλιστον οἶκτον (v.l. οἶτον) , μερίμνας is gen. sg. and οἶκτον or οἶτον is acc. depending on ἔψαυσας . . μερίμνας, = ἐποίησάς με μεριμνᾶν; and ib.961, κεῖνος ἐπέγνω μανίαις ψαύων τὸν θεὸν ἐν κερτομίοις γλώσσαις, the construction is ἐπέγνω τὸν θεόν, ψαύων (sc. αὐτοῦ) he learned to know the god, assailing (him): later writers used the Pass. as if the Act. had a trans. sense, Dsc. l. c., Plu. 2.951d. 2. touch lightly. a way of feeling the pulse, opp. θλίβω, Gal. 8.808: metaph., touch upon a subject, notice it slightly, Plb. 1.13.8:—Med., c. acc. rei, touch lightly upon a subject, Gal. 18(1).331. 3. touch as an enemy, lay hands upon, τινος E. IA 1559: abs., κλάοις ἄν, εἰ ψαύσειας A. Supp. 925, cf. S. OC 856. 4. touch, affect, οὐ γὰρ ἄκρας καρδίας ἔψαυσέ μου E. Hec. 242. 5. reach, gain, ὕμνων Pi. N. 5.42; ψ. Ἀφροδίτας Id. O. 6.35: abs., hit the mark, AP 7.428.11 (Mel.). 6. Math., ἐπίπεδα ψαύοντα tangent planes, Archim. Con.Sph. 17. II. rarely in Pass., to be touched, of the star-fish, ἐνδίδωσι τὸ σῶμα καὶ περιορᾷ ψαυόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν παρατρεχόντων Plu. 2.978b, cf. 951d (if the comma be placed before, not after, οὐσίας) ; ὅσοι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀμινναίων (sc. οἴνων) ψαύονται κεφαλῆς those who are affected in the head . . , Dsc. 5.19.—The word is very rare in early Prose, Antipho 3.3.5, X. Mem. 1.4.12: freq. later, Plb. 1.13.8, al., Plu. 2.589f, al.