ὄνυξ

ὄνυξ, ῠχος, ὁ, Hom. only in Ep. dat. pl. ὀνύχεσσι, and always of the eagle, A. talons, claws, Il. 8.248, al. ; so of the falcon, Hes. Op. 204, 205, Ar. Av. 1180 ; so of beasts of prey, Pi. N. 4.63, Hdt. 3.108 ; of the crocodile, Id. 2.68 ; of the Sphinx, E. El. 471 (lyr.); of human beings, nail, Hes. Sc. 266, Hdt. 4.64, etc.; τοὺς ὄνυχας τῶν δακτύλων Ar. Av. 8 ; of horses and oxen, hoof, X.Eq.1.3, Ap 9.64 (Asclep. or Arch.): Arist. speaks of the hoof (ὁπλή) as homologous to the nail or claw (ὄνυξ), HA 486b20, PA 690a9: metaph., πρὸς ὀξύν γʼ ὄ. πετραίου λίθου E. Cyc. 401 codd. (leg. στόνυχα) :—Special phrases : 1. εἰς ἄκρους τοὺς ὄ. ἀφίκετο (sc. ὁ οἶνος) warmed me to my fingers’ ends, ib.159; so ἐκ κορυφῆς εἰς ἄκρους ὄ. AP 9.709 (Phil.), cf. 12.93 (Rhian.) ; so also ἐξ ὀνύχων from the fingers’ ends, ib.5.13 (Rufin.), Plu. 2.3c ; but ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀ. from childhood, Horaceʼs de tenero ungui, AP 5.128 (Autom.). 2. ὄνυχας ἐπʼ ἄκρους στάς on tiptoe, E. El. 840 ; ἐπʼ ἄκρων ἐβάδιζε τῶν ὀ. Macho ap.Ath. 8.349b. 3. ὅταν ἐν ὄνυχι ὁ πηλὸς γένηται, i. e. when the model reaches the nail stage, because the sculptor puts the finishing touches to the model with his nail, Polyclit. ap. Plu. 2.636c, cf. Plu. 2.86a ; so ἡ διʼ ὄνυχος δίαιτα a most careful, close life, ib. 128e ; τὸν Λυσιακὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐκμέμακται εἰς ὄνυχα ad unguem expressit, D.H. Dem. 13 ; σύμπηξις εἰς ὄνυχα a nice fit, Gal. 2.737 ; τὰς γωνίας ἐπʼ ὄνυχος συμβεβλημένας ἔχειν Ph. Bel. 66.37 ; πρὸς ὄνυχα τὴν προσκαρτέρησιν ποιεῖσθαι Phld. Rh. 1.11S.; cf. ὀνυχίζω III, ἐξονυχίζω. 4. ὀδοῦσι καὶ ὄνυξι καὶ πάσῃ μηχανῇ, i.e. in every possible way, Luc. DMort. 11.4. 5. ἐξ ὀνύχων λέοντα (sc. τεκμαίρεσθαι) to judge by the claws, i. e. by a slight but characteristic mark, Alc. 113, Apostol. 7.57. II. anything like a claw, 1. fluke of an anchor, Plu. 2.247e. 2. an instrument fixed by a surgeon to his finger, Hp. Superf. 7, Gal. 19.107. 3. ὄ. σιδηροῦς tool used for scraping the ‘figs’ of the συκάμινος, Thphr. HP 4.2.1 (pl.) ; also for making incisions to extract gum of balsam, ib.9.6.2(pl.). 4. κλιμακίδοιν τοὺς ὄ., τῶν πλαισίων τοὺς ὄ., dub. sens. in IG 12.373.208,212, cf. 372 E 10. III. anything like the nail: 1. the white part at the end of rose-petals by which they are attached to the stalk, Dsc. 1.99. 2. hypopyon, an accumulation of pus in the eye resembling a nail-paring, Aët. 7.30 tit. (pl.), Paul.Aeg. 3.22.23. 3. part of the liver, Ruf. Onom. 180, Sch.Nic. Th. 560. 4. veined gem, onyx, LXX Jb. 28.16, Aristeas66, J. BJ 5.5.7 ; Σαρδῷος ὄ. sardonyx, Luc. Syr.D. 32 (cf. σαρδόνυξ) ; ὄ. σφραγίς IG 22.1388.86, cf. 12.282.128. 5. an aromatic substance, onycha, LXX Ex. 30.34, Damocr. ap. Gal. 13.226, Dsc. 2.8, POxy. 1142.4(iii A. D.). 6. = ἀστράγαλος VII, Ps.-Dsc. 4.61. 7. operculum of the κογχύλιον, Dsc. 2.8, Gal. 13.320, Orib. 5.77.1, Paul.Aeg. 7.3 ; of the πορφύρα, Dsc. Eup. 2.92. 8. a shell-fish, supposed female of σωλήν, prob. Lithodomus, Xenocr. ap. Orib. 2.58.106 (pl.). 9. ὄνυχες θαλάσσιοι sea-weed, Ps.-Democr.Alch.p.42 B. (Cf. Lat. unguis, Skt. nakhás ‘nail’, etc.)