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ἅπτω , fut. ἅψω: aor. ἧψα:—Pass., pf. ἧμμαι, Ion.
A.“ἅμμαι” Hdt.1.86: fut. “ἅψομαι” Od.9.379, ἁφθήσομαι（συν-) Gal.3.311:—Med., v.infr. (cf. ἑάφθη):—fasten or bind to, used by Hom., once in Act., ἅψας ἀμφοτέρωθεν . . ἔντερον οἰός (of a lyre-string) Od.21.408; once in Med., ἁψαμένη βρόχον . . ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλοῖο μελάθρου having fastened the noose to the beam (to hang herself), 11.278; so later “ἅψεται ἀμφὶ βρόχον . . δείρᾳ” E.Hipp.770; “ἁψαμένη βρόχον αὐχένι” A.R.1.1065:—Act., “βρόχους ἅ. κρεμαστούς” E.Or.1036; but “βρόχῳ ἅ. δέρην” Id.Hel.136, cf. AP7.493 (Antip. Thess.).
2. join, “ἅ. χορόν” A.Eu.307; πάλην τινὶ ἅ. fasten a contest in wrestling on one, engage with one, Id.Ch.868: —Pass., “ἅπτεσθαι τὴν Μεγαρέων πόλιν καὶ Κορινθίων τοῖς τείχεσιν” Arist.Pol.1280b14.
II. more freq. in Med., ἅπτομαι, fut. ἅψομαι, aor. “ἡψάμην” E.Supp.317, with pf. Pass. “ἧμμαι” S.Tr.1010(lyr.), Pl. Phdr.260e:—fasten oneself to, grasp, c.gen., “ἅψασθαι γούνων” Il.1.512; “χειρῶν” 10.377; “ἁψαμένη δὲ γενείου Ὀδυσσῆα προσέειπεν” Od.19.473; “ἅπτεσθαι νηῶν” Il.2.152; “βρώμης δ᾽ οὐχ ἅπτεαι οὐδὲ ποτῆτος;” Od.10.379, cf. 4.60; “ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τε κύων συὸς . . ἅπτηται κατόπισθε . . ἰσχία τε γλουτούς τε” Il.8.339; “ἅπτεσθαι τοῦ ἐπεόντος ἐπὶ τῶν δενδρέων καρποῦ” Hdt.2.32; “τῶν τύμβων ἁπτόμενοι” Id.4.172; ἅπτεσθαί τινος, Lat. manus inicere alicui, Id.3.137; “οὔτ᾽ ἔθιγεν οὔθ᾽ ἥψαθ᾽ ἡμῶν” E.Ba.617; τῶν σφυγμῶν feel the pulse, Arr.Epict.3.22.73: metaph., take hold of, cleave to, Pl.Lg.967c.
b. abs., τῶν μὲν γὰρ πάντων βέλε᾽ ἅπτεται for the spears of all the Trojans reach their mark, Il.17.631; “ἀμφοτέρων βέλε᾽ ἥπτετο” 8.67.
c. “ἅ. τῆς γῆς” land, D.S.4.48.
III. metaph., engage in, undertake, “βουλευμάτων” S.Ant.179; “ἀγῶνος” E. Supp.317; πολέμου prosecute it vigorously, Th.5.61; “ἧπται τοῦ πράγματος” D.21.155; “ψυχὴ ἡμμένη φόνων” Pl.Phd.108b, cf. E.IT381; “τῶν μεγίστων ἀσεβημάτων” Plb.7.13.6; so “ἅ. τῆς μουσικῆς καὶ φιλοσοφίας” Pl.R.411c; ἐπιτηδεύματος ib.497e; “γεωμετρίας” Id.Plt.266a; “τῆς θαλάττης” Plb.1.24.7; “ἅπτεσθαι λόγου” E.Andr.662, Pl.Euthd.283a (but ἅπτεσθαι τοῦ λόγου attack, impugn the argument of another, Id.Phd. 86d); τούτων ἥψατο touched on these points, handled them, Th.1.97; “ἅ. τῆς ζητήσεως” Arist.GC320b34; but also, touch on, treat superficially, Pl.Lg.694c, Arist.EE1227a1.
b. abs., begin, set to work, “ταῖς διανοίαις” Ar.Ec.581.
2. fasten upon, attack, Pi.N.8.22, A.Ag. 1608, etc.; “μόνον τῷ δακτύλῳ” Ar.Lys.365; “τῆς οὐραγίας” Plb.2.34.12; esp. with words, Hdt.5.92.γ́; of diseases, “ἧπταί μου” S.Tr.1010, cf. Gal.15.702; “ἥψατο τῶν ἀνθρώπων” Th.2.48; ὅσα ἅπτεται ἀνθρώπων all that feed on human flesh, ib.50.
b. lay hands on, “χρημάτων” Pl.Lg. 913a; “τῶν ἀλλοτρίων” Id.R.360b, etc.
3. touch, affect, “ἄλγος οὐδὲν ἅπτεται νεκροῦ” A.Fr.255, cf. S.OC955; “ἅπτει μου τοῖς λόγοις τῆς ψυχῆς” Pl.Ion535a; “τῆς ἐμῆς ἥψω φρενός” E.Rh.916; “ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅ. φρενῶν” Ar.Eq.1237; make an impression upon, “ἡμῶν” OGI315.56 (Pessinus, ii B. C.).
4. grasp with the senses, perceive, S.OC1550, Pl.Phd.99e; apprehend, “τῆς αἰτίας” Arist.Resp.472a3.
5. have intercourse with a woman, Pl.Lg.84ca, Arist.Pol.1335b40, 1 Ep.Cor. 7.1; “εὐνῆς” E.Ph.946.
6. come up to, reach, overtake, X.HG5.4.43; attain, “τῆς ἀληθείας” Pl.Phd.65b; “τοῦ τέλους” Id.Smp.211b: in Pi., c. dat., “ἀγλαΐαις” P.10.28; “στάλαισιν Ἡρακλείαις” Id.I.4(3).12; but also c. gen., “Ἡρακλέος σταλᾶν” Id.O.3.44.
7. make use of, avail oneself of, “τῆς τύχης” E.IA56.
8. Geom., of bodies and surfaces, to be in contact, Arist.Ph.231a22, cf. Metaph.1002a34, al., S.E.M.3.35; of lines or curves, meet, Euc.3Def.2; touch, Id.4Def.5, Archim. Sph.Cyl.1.28; pass through a point, Euc.4Defs.2,6; of points, lie on a line or curve, ib.Defs.1,3; ἅπτεται τὸ σημεῖον θέσει δεδομένης εὐθείας the locus of the point is a given straight line, Id. ap. Papp.656.6,al.
B. Act., kindle, set on fire (i.e. by contact of fire), Hdt.8.52, etc. (so in Med., Call.Dian.116); “ἐρείκης θωμὸν ἅψαντες πυρί” A.Ag.295: metaph., “πυρσὸν ὕμνων” Pi.I.4(3).43:—Pass., to be set on fire, “ὁ μοχλὸς ἐλάϊνος ἐν πυρὶ μέλλεν ἅψεσθαι” Od.9.379; ὡς ἅφθη τάχιστα τὸ λήιον . . ἅψατο νηοῦ as soon as the corn caught fire, it set fire to the temple, Hdt.1.19; πυρῆς ἤδη ἁμμένης ib.86; “ἧπται πυρί” E.Hel.107.
II. ἅ. πῦρ kindle a fire, ib.503:—Pass., ἄνθρακες ἡμμένοι red-hot embers, Th.4.100; “δᾷδ᾽ ἐνεγκάτω τις ἡμμένην” Ar.Nu.1490, cf. Pl.301.
III. cook, Alex.124.1.
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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