ὄστρεον

ὄστρεον or ὄστρειον, τό, A. oyster; the proper Att. form is ὄστρειον (ὄστρεια . . ἔλεγον οἱ ἀρχαῖοι Ath. 3.92e, cf. Moer.p.285 P. (who recommends ὀστρία [ῑ] wrongly), Phot., etc.), and this is required by the metre in the earlier Poets, κόγχοι, μύες, κὤστρεια A. Fr. 34; ὄστρεια συμμεμυκότα Epich. 42 (ὄστρεα codd. Ath.); πίννῃσι καὶ ὀστρείοισιν ὁμοίη Cratin. 8; πίνναι, λεπάδες, μύες, ὄστρεια Anaxandr. 41.61 (anap.); while ὄστρεον is used in late Ep., Matro Conv. 16, Nic. Fr. 83, and is found in Pap., PCair.Zen. 82.13 (iii B. C.), POxy. 738.5 (i A. D.):—the readings vary in Pl. (v. infr. III), as in Arist., cf. HA 490b10, 525a20: generally, of all bivalves, ib.525a20, 528a1, Fr. 304, Gal. 12.345. II. oyster- or bivalve-shell, Arist. HA 531b5, 590a32. III. purple pigment, prob. that produced by the murex, cf. Arist. HA 548a12; ὄστρεον μόνον ἐπιφέρειν Pl. Cra. 424d; ὀστρείῳ ἐναληλιμμένος Id. R. 420c; τὰ σώματα ἐκέχριντο ὀστρείῳ Callix. 2: ὄστρεα· τὰ κογχύλια, Λάκωνες ἄνθος, Hsch.