A.many-coloured, spotted, pied, dappled, “παρδαλέη” Il.10.30; “ὄφις” Hes.Th.300 codd. (αἰόλον Sch.); “δράκων” Pi.P.8.46; ἴυγξ ib.4.214; “νεβρίδες” E.Ba.249; “ὄρνιθες” Plot.4.4.29; also of cattle, PCair.Preis.37.9 (iii B.C.), etc.; “-ώτερον ταὧ” Alex.110.14, cf. Ath.9.397c; opp. ὁμόχρους, Arist.HA543a25; “κιθῶνες” Hdt.7.61; λίθος Αἰθιοπικὸς π., of the red granite of Syene, Id.2.127, cf. IG42(1).106i96, 113(Epid., iv B.C.); “σφαῖρα” Pl.Phd.110b; in X.An.5.4.32, tattooed.
II. wrought in various colours, of woven or embroidered stuffs, in Hom. as epith. of πέπλος, Il.5.735, al.; “ἱμάς” 14.215; “φᾶρος” S.Fr.586; ἐν ποικίλοις . . κάλλεσιν βαίνειν, of a rich carpet, A.Ag.923; ποικίλα, τά, ib.926, 936, Theoc.15.78; π., τό, a broidered robe, Cratin. 38; “ἐπίβλημα π.” IG12.387.28; of Cyprian, Carthaginian, and Sicilian stuffs, Ar.Fr.611, Hermipp.63.23, Philem.76.4. Adv. “-λως, ὑφασμένον” Antiph.99(dub.); “στρωμναὶ π. διηνθισμέναι” LXXEs.1.6.
2. of metal work, τεύχεα π. χαλκῷ cunningly wrought in bronze, Hes.Sc.[423]; “θώρηξ” Il.16.134; τεύχεα, ἔντεα, σάκος, δίφρος, κλισμός, etc., 4.432, 10.75, 149,501, Od.1.132, etc.; but “δεσμὸς π.” intricate, 8.448.
3. ἡ στοὰ ἡ π. the Painted Hall at Athens, Aeschin.3.186; “ἡ π. στοά” D.45.17, 59.94, cf. Paus.1.15.1; also Ποικίλη alone, Id.5.11.6, Luc.DMeretr.10.2; or ἡ Π., Id.Pisc.13, 16, etc.; also π. στοά, at Olympia, Paus.5.21.17; λέσχη π., at Sparta, Id.3.15.8; “θρᾶνος π.” PCair.Zen.445.5 (iii B.C.).
4. of drugs, complicated, Aret.CD1.4.
III. metaph., changeful, diversified, manifold, “εὐμορφία” A.Pr.495; “π. κακῶν ταμιεῖον” Democr.149; “-ώτερος αὐτοῦ Πρωτέως” Luc.Sacr.5; “ποικίλα ἀντὶ ἁπλοῦ” Pl.Tht.146d; “-ώτερα ποιεῖν τὰ νοσήματα” Id.R.426a; παντοδαπὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ π. καὶ παντοίως ἐχούσας ib.559d; “οὕτω δὲ π. τί ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ παντοδαπόν” Id.Prt.334b; “πηδήσεις ὡς ἔνι -ωτάτας ποιεῖσθαι” Arr. Tact.43.3; π. μῆνες the changing months, Pi.I.4(3).18 (nisi leg. ποικίλα [χθών]）“; π. εὐεργεσία” IG5(2).268.22 (Mantinea, i B.C.). Adv. “-λως” in various ways, Hp.Art.33, Gal.13.91: Comp. -ωτέρως, θρεπτέον Herod.Med.in Rh.Mus.58.85; but “-ώτερον” Sor.Vit.Hp.4.
2. of Art, π. ὕμνος a song of changeful strain or full of diverse art, Pi.O.6.87; “ποικίλον κιθαρίζων” Id.N.4.14; “δεδαιδαλμένοι ψεύδεσι ποικίλοις μῦθοι” Id.O.1.29; of style, “λέξις ποιητικωτέρα καὶ π.” Isoc.15.47 (Comp.); “σχηματισμοί” D.H.Is.3.
3. intricate, complex, εἱλιγμοὶ -ώτατοι, of a labyrinth, Hdt.2.148; of an oracle, Id.7.111 (Comp.); “ὁ θεὸς ἔφυ τι π.” E.Hel.711; π. νόμος, opp. νοῆσαι ῥᾴδιος, Pl.Smp.182b; π. μηχάνημα, λόγοι, S.OC762, Ar.Th.438; opp. ἁπλούστερος, Arist. Rh.1416b25; “οὐδὲν π. οὐδὲ σοφόν” D.9.37. Adv. -λως, αὐδώμενος speaking in double sense, S.Ph.130; “π. ᾐνιγμένος” Ar.Eq.196.
b. of abstruse knowledge, intricate, subtle, “εἰδέναι τι π.” E.Med.300; οὐδὲν π. nothing abstruse or difficult, Pl.Men.75e, Grg.491d, etc.
c. of persons and things, subtle, artful, wily, of Prometheus, Hes.Th. 511, A.Pr.310; of Odysseus, E.IA526; “π. γὰρ ἁνήρ” Ar.Eq.758; “φύσει π.” Plb.8.18.4; “ἀλώπηξ κερδαλέα καὶ π.” Pl.R.365c; π. λαλήματα, of the Sirens, E.Andr.937; “π. τόξον” B.9.43; “βουλεύματα” Pi. N.5.28. Adv. subtly, artfully, E.Ba.888(lyr.); “σοφῶς . . καὶ π.” Alex. 110.20; “π. χρώμενοι τοῖς πράγμασιν” Plb.4.30.7.
4. changeable, unstable, “ὁ εὐδαίμων οὐ π. καὶ εὐμετάβολος” Arist.EN1101a8; π. ἐλπίδες doubtful hopes, Plb.14.1.5; “π. περιστάσεις” OGI194.5 (Egypt, i B.C.). Adv. -λως, ἔχειν to be different, X.Mem.2.6.21; “δέος π. περιαμύττον τὸν νοῦν” Pl.Ax.365c: Comp. -ωτέρως dub. in Epicur.Nat.5G. (Cf. Skt. pimśáti 'dress (meat)', 'adorn', péśas 'shape', 'colour', 'embroidery', Lith. pi[etilde]šti 'draw', 'write', Slav. p[icaron]sati 'write'.)
