βοῦς

βοῦς, Dor. βῶς Theoc. 9.7, GDI 5005.5 (Gortyn), ὁ and ἡ: gen. βοός (written βοιός GDIiv p.883 No.62 (Erythrae)), poet. also βοῦ A. Fr. 421, S. Fr. 280: acc. βοῦν IG 12.45A11, etc., βῶν Il. 7.238 and Dor., IG 4.914.18, al. (Epid.), SIG 56.16 (Argos), Theoc. 27.64, Ion. and poet. also βόα Pherecyd. 162 J., AP 9.255 (Phil.): dual βόε Hes. Op. 436: pl., nom. βόες, rarely contr. βοῦς Ar. Fr. 760, Plu. Aem. 33, etc.: gen.βοῶν, contr. βῶν Hes. Th. 983; Bocot. βουῶν IG 7.3171.45: dat. βουσί, Ep. βόεσσι, βοσί AP 7.622 (Antiphil.); Boeot. βούεσσι IG 7.3171.38: acc. βόας Il. 5.556, al., βοῦς 1.154, al., S. Aj. 175 (lyr.), and Att., Antiph. 172.5, etc. (but later βόας Ev.Jo. 2.14, POxy. 729.16 (ii A. D.), etc.):—Α. bullock, bull, ox, or cow, in pl. cattle, commonly fem.: to mark the male Hom. adds a word, β. ἄρσην Il. 20.495; or ταῦρος β. 17.389; as a measure of value, βοὸς ἄξιον 23.885, cf. 7.474 and v. ἀλφεσίβοιος, ἑκατόμβοιος. b. βοῦς ἄγριος buffalo, Arist. HA 499a4. c. βοῦς ἐν Συρίᾳ zebu, ib.606a15; β. ἐν Παιονίᾳ, perh. urus, Id. Mir. 842b33. d. βοὸς ὄμμα, = βούφθαλμος, AP 4.1.52 (Mel.). 2. metaph. of any dam or mother, μία β. Κρηθεῖ τε μάτηρ καὶ Σαλμωνεῖ Pi. P. 4.142; ἄπεχε τῆς β. τὸν ταῦρον A. Ag. 1125. II. = βοείη or βοέη (always fem.), ox-hide shield, νωμῆσαι βῶν Il. 7.238; τυκτῇσι βόεσσιν 12.105; βόας αὔας ib.137; γέρρα λευκῶν β. X. An. 5.4.12. III. a fish, perh. Notidanus griseus, Arist. HA 540b17, Fr. 280. 2. a fish of the Nile, Str. 17.2.4. IV. ἔβδομος β. crescent loaf, Clidem.16. V. seam, Poll. 7.65. VI. the constellation Taurus, Max. 162. VII. = μάστιξ, Hsch. VIII. prov., β. ἐπὶ γλώσσης ἐπιβαίνων Thgn. 815; βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ βέβηκε A. Ag. 36; of people who keep silence from some weighty reason, τὸν βοῦν ἐπιτίθημι τῇ γλώττῃ Jul. Or. 7.218a; βοῦς ἐμβαίνει μέγας Strattis 67 (wrongly expld. by Zen. 2.70, etc., of bribery with coins bearing type of ox); β. ἐν πόλει ‘bull in a china-shop’, Diogcnian.3.67; β. ἐν αὐλίῳ, of a useless person, Cratin. 32; β. λύρας ‘pearls before swine’, Macho ap.Ath. 8.349c. (βοῦς (from βωύς, Skt. gaús) acc. βῶν (Skt. gā´m) are old forms: stem βωϝ-βοϝ-, cf. Lat. (Umbr.) bos, etc.)