The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

στάθμη

stathme

carpenterʼs line or rule

Appears 8 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

στάθμη, ἡ,
carpenterʼs line or rule, ξέσσε δʼ ἐπισταμένως καὶ ἐπὶ στάθμην ἴθυνεν [δοῦρα] Od. 5.245, cf. 23.197; [πελέκεας] ἐπὶ σ. ἴθ. 21.121; also στάθμη δόρυ νήϊον ἐξιθύνει Il. 15.410; τόρνου καὶ στάθμης καὶ γνώμονος . . ἰθύτερον Thgn. 805; ἐπὶ σ. θεῖναι μίαν on a level, Arist. PA 657a10: prop. στάθμη was the line rubbed with chalk or red ochre, being distd. from the rule (κανών) by Pl. Phlb. 56c, X. Ages. 10.2; κανόσι καὶ στάθμαις Plu. Praec. 2.807d, etc.; λευκὴ σ., v. λευκός II.1a: metaph., ἀτεχνῶς λευκὴ σ. εἰμὶ πρὸς τοὺς καλούς a white measuring-line, i.e. unable to discriminate, Pl. Chrm. 154b, cf. Plu. Garr. 2.513f.
2. παρὰ στάθμην by the rule, εἶμι παρὰ σ. ὀρθὴν ὁδόν Thgn. 945, cf. 543; τέκτονος παρὰ σ. ἰόντος S. Fr. 474; for A. Ag. 1045 v. παρά C. II.2; κατὰ στάθμην ἵστασθαι, c. gen., in a straight line with, Democr. ap. Plu. Fac.lun. 2.929c; κατὰ σ. ἐνόησας you guessed aright, Theoc. 25.194; ὡς ἂν ἀπὸ στάθμης D.H. Comp. 23; στάθμῃ Aret. SD 2.11; πρὸς στάθμῃ πέτρον τίθεσθαι, μή τι πρὸς πέτρῳ στάθμην, i.e. when facts are obstinate, do not relax your standard, Com.(?) ap. Plu. Profect. 2.75f (cf. Bergk PLG 3.740); στάθμα πατρῴα perh. the measure [of piety] towards his father, Pi. P. 6.45; στάθμας ἑλκόμενοι περισσᾶς perh. straining at an over-exact measure, ib. 2.90.
3. verification, certification, τὰς σ. τῶν μέτρων ἀπὸ τοῦ βελτίστου ποιεῖσθαι prob. in PTeb. 5.88 (ii B.C.).
II. plummet or plumbline, μολιβαχθής AP 6.103 (Phil.); ῥιπτεῖσθαι ἄνω κατὰ στάθμην to be thrown perpendicularly upwards, Arist. Cael. 296b24.
III. like γραμμή, the line which bounds the racecourse, goal, δραμεῖν ποτὶ στάθμαν, metaph. of manʼs life, Pi. N. 6.7; παρʼ οἵαν ἤλθομεν σ. βίου E. Ion 1514.
2. starting point, ‘scratch’, στάθμης ὁρμηθέντες ἀπόσσυτοι Opp. H. 4.102, cf. Eust. 1023.5.
IV. metaph., law, rule, ὑπὸ στάθμᾳ νέμεσθαι Pi. Fr. 1.4; Ὑλλίδος στάθμας ἐν νόμοις, i.e. according to laws of Dorian rule, Id. P. 1.62.
V. δοράτων στάθμαι butt-ends, like σαυρωτῆρες, D.S. 17.35, cf. PCair.Zen. 782 (a). 49 (iii B.C.).
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