βέλος

βέλος, εος, τό, A. missile, esp. arrow, dart, freq. in Hom.; of the piece of rock hurled by the Cyclops, τόντονδε βαλὼν β. Od. 9.495; of an oxʼs leg thrown by one of the suitors at Ulysses, 20.305; of a stool, 17.464; ὑπὲκ βελέων out of the reach of darts, out of shot, Il. 4.465; ἐκ βελέων 11.163; ἔξω βελῶν X. Cyr. 3.3.69, etc.; ἔξω βέλους Arr. An. 2.27.1, Luc. Hist.Conscr. 4; opp. ἐντὸς βέλους, D.S. 20.6, Arr. An. 1.2.5; εἴσω β. παρελθεῖν ib.1.6.8. 2. used of any weapon, as a sword, Ar. Ach. 345, cf. S. Aj. 658; an axe, E. El. 1159; the sting of a scorpion, A. Fr. 169; of the gad-fly, Id. Supp. 556. 3. ἀγανὰ βέλεα of Apollo, Il. 24.759, Od. 3.280, and of Artemis, ib.5.124, denote sudden, easy death of men and women respectively; βέλος ὀξύ, of Ilithyia, pangs of childbirth, Il. 11.269, cf. Theoc. 27.29. 4. after Hom. of anything swift-darting, Διὸς βέλη the bolts of Zeus, lightnings, Pi. N. 10.8, cf. Hdt. 4.79, etc.; Ζηνὸς ἄγρυπνον β. A. Pr. 360; πύρπνουν β. ib.917; βέλεσι πυρπνόου ζάλης, of a storm, ib.373; πάγων δύσομβρα β. S. Ant. 358: metaph., ὀμμάτων β. glance of the eye, A. Ag. 742; φίλοικτον β. a piteous glance, ib. 241 (lyr.); ἱμέρου β. the shaft of love, Id. Pr. 649; θυμοῦ βέλη S. OT 893 (s.v.l.); of arguments, πᾶν τετόξευται β. A. Eu. 679, cf. Pl. Phlb. 23b; β. τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος, of invective, Lib. Or. 51.8; of mental anguish or fear, ἄτλατον β. Pi. N. 1.48 (v.l. δέος) ὁ φθόνος αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑοῖς βελέεσσι δαμάζει AP 10.111. 5. engine of war, Ph. Bel. 82.8: pl., artillery, ib.97.10. (Cf. βάλλω, Lith. gélti ‘sting’, gēlà ‘sharp pain’, OHG.quelan ‘feel sharp pain’. Root gṷel- ‘pierce’, cf. δέλλιθες.)