συκοφάντης

συκοφάντης, ου, ὁ, A. common informer, voluntary denouncer (there being no Public Prosecutor), e.g. of contraband imports, καὶ σ. εἴ τις ἦν ὠνείδισας; did you dare to reproach a σ.? Ar. Ach. 559, cf. 725,825; of unlawful possession, Id. Pl. 873,879,885; of disaffection to Athens, Isoc. 15.313 (cf. 316-18); κλητήρ εἰμι νησιωτικὸς καὶ σ. Ar. Av. 1423; the σ. became notorious as pettifoggers, Lycurg. 31 (cf. Ar. Ach. 920 -4), D. 20.62, vexatious prosecutors of innocent persons esp. if rich, Lys. 25.3, D. 57.34, and blackmailers, Antipho 5.78,80, Lys. 7.20, And. 1.105, D. 21.103, 58.27, Aeschin. 2.5, 3.256, Hyp. Lyc. 2, Theopomp. Hist.107,267, Luc. Tim. 36; having thus abused their legal powers, they were treated as criminals, [οἱ τριάκοντα] τοὺς σ . . . ἀνῄρουν Arist. Ath. 35.3, cf. X. HG 2.3.38, Isoc. 15.313, 18.3; συκοφαντῶν προβολαί Arist. Ath. 43.5, cf. Aeschin. 2.145; they were numerous in democracies, Thphr. Char. 26.5; χρῆν . . ἐγγίγνεσθαι . . πάσῃ δημοκρατίᾳ σ. Plu. Tim. 37; δημαγωγῶν πλῆθος καὶ σ. at Syracuse, D.S. 11.87; rarer in oligarchies, e.g. Boeotia, Ar. Ach. 904; βασιλεὺς ἐνδεὴς προσόδων μέγας σ. a great extortioner, LXX Pr. 28.16. 2. in New Com., professional swindler or confidential agent, πράττει δʼ ὁ κόλαξ ἄριστα πάντων, δεύτερα ὁ σ. Men. 223.17, cf. Georg. Fr. 1, Philippid. 29: so in Lat. sycophanta, Plaut. Poen. 1032, Trin. 815, Ter.Andr. 815; humbug, Favorin. ap. Gell. 14.1.32. 3. = Lat. delator, ὁ πικρὸς σ. Ἰσίδωρος Ph. 2.597, cf. OGI 669.41 (Egypt, i A.D.), Cod.Just. 1.4.34.17, al. (From σῦκον φαίνειν, orig. used of denouncers of the attempted export of figs from Athens, acc. to Ister 35, Plu. Sol. 24, 2.523b; orig. of citizens entrusted with the collection of figs as part of the public revenues of Athens and the denouncing of tax-evaders, acc. to Philomnest. 1; of denouncers of figs which had been stolen from the sacred fig-trees during a famine and had become cheap, the famine having passed, Sch.Ar. Pl. 31, cf. Fest. p.393 L.; these and modern explanations are mere guesses; the word first in Ar. but implied by συκοπέδιλος.)