ὄφις

ὄφις, ὁ, gen. ὄφεως, poet. also ὄφεος E. Supp. 703, Ba. 1026, 1331; Dor. and Ion. ὄφιος Hes. Th. 322, Hdt. 9.81, Arat. 82:—A. serpent, αἰόλος Il. 12.208; γλαυκῶπα ποικιλόνωτον ὄφιν Pi. P. 4.249, cf.A. Ch. 544, S. Ph. 1328, Hdt. 8.41, Pl. Phd. 112d, R. 358b, etc.; ὁ ψυχρὸς ὄ. Theoc. 15.58; equiv. to δράκων in Hes. Th. 322, 825: metaph., πτηνὸν ἀργηστὴν ὄφιν, of an arrow, A. Eu. 181. II. like δράκων, a serpent-like bracelet, Men. 387, Nicostr. Com.33, Philostr. Ep. 22; ὄφεις is Att. for ψέλλια acc. to Moer. p.288 P. 2. τρικάρηνος ὄ. ὁ χάλκεος dedicated at Delphi ( = SIG 31), Hdt. 9.81. III. the constellation Serpens, Arat. 82, Eudox. ap.Hipparch. 1.2.18. IV. a creeping plant, Hp. Mul. 2.114. V. a kind of fish, v. ὀφίδιον II. VI. guinea-worm (elsewh. δρακόντιον), Ruf. Interrog. 65. VII. = ὀφίασις I, Cels. 6.4, Poll. 4.192. [The first syll. is sts. made long in the older Poets, αἰόλον ὄφιν Il. 12.208, cf. Hippon. 49.6; so ὀφιοέσσης Antim. 78. It was then pronounced (and perh. written) ὄπφις, ὀπφιοέσσης, v. Eust.Il. l.c.—The ult. of the nom. and acc. ὄφις, ὄφιν is commonly long, as in Hes. Th. 334, A. Ch. 928, A.R. 2.1269, Mosch. 4.22; short only in later Poets, as A.R. 4.128, 1398, Arat. 578.]