A.“εἷλκον” A.Fr.39, etc., Ep.“ἕλκον” Il.4.213,al. (never εἵλκυον): fut.“ἕλξω” A.Supp.909, etc., rarely ἑλκύσω [υ^] Hp.Fract.2, Philem.174: aor. “εἵλκυ^σα” Batr.232, Pi.N.7.103, Trag. and Att., E.Ph.987, Ar.Nu.540, SIG2587.23, al., etc.; “ἥλκυσα” IG11(2).287 B61 (Delos, ii B.C.), CIG4993,5006 (Egypt, iii A.D.); later εἷλξα, poet. “ἕλξα” AP9.370 (Tib. Ill.), Orph.A.258, Gal.Nat.Fac.1.12: pf. “εἵλκυ^κα” D.22.59; pf. part. ἑολκώς prob.in Epich. 177:—Med., fut. -ύσομαι (ἐφ-) Antyll. ap. Orib.6.10.9: aor. εἱλκυσάμην (ἀφ-) v.l. in Hp.Art.11, subj. “ἀφελκύσωμαι” Ar.Ach.1120; rarely “εἱλξάμην” Gal.4.534:—Pass., fut. “ἑλκυσθήσομαι” A.Th.614 (ξυγκαθ-), Lyc.358, “ἑλχθήσομαι” Gal.UP7.7: aor. “εἱλκύσθην” Hp.Epid.4.14, (ἐξ-) Ar.Ec.688, “ἑλκ-” Hdt.1.140, “ἡλκ-” IG12(7).115.11 (Amorgos); later “εἵλχθην” Ph.2.11, Philostr.VA8.15, D.L.6.91: pf. “εἵλκυσμαι” Hp.Superf. 16, E.Rh.576,Ph.1.316, (καθ-) Th.6.50, ἕλκυσμαι (ἀν-) Hdt.9.98, “ἥλκυσμαι” BGU1256.11(ii B.C.): plpf. “εἵλκυστο” Hp.Epid.4.36.—In Att., ἕλκω, ἕλξω were alone used in pres. and fut., while the other tenses were formed from ἑλκυ-; cf. ἑλκέω (q.v.), ἑλκυστάζω. In Hom., Aristarch. rejected the augm. (Cf. Lat. sulcus, Lith. velkù 'drag'):— draw, drag, with collat.notion of force or exertion, ὣς εἰπὼν ποδὸς ἕλκε began to drag [the dead body] by the foot, Il.13.383; “ἤν περ . . ποδῶν ἕλκωσι θύραζε” Od.16.276; “τινὰ τῆς ῥινός” Luc.Herm.73; “Ἕκτορα . . περὶ σῆμ᾽ ἑτάροιο ἕλκει” Il.24.52; drag away a prisoner, 22.65 (Pass.); draw ships down to the sea, 2.152, etc.; draw along a felled tree, 17.743; of mules, draw a chariot, 24.324; ἑλκέμεναι νειοῖο . . πηκτὸν ἄροτρον draw the plough through the field, 10.353, cf. 23.518; “ἕ. τινὰ ἐπὶ κνάφου” Hdt.1.92; περιβαλόντας σχοινία ἕ. haul at them, Id.5.85.
2. draw after one, “ἐν δ᾽ ἔπεσ᾽ Ὠκεανῷ . . φάος ἠελίοιο, ἕλκον νύκτα μέλαιναν” Il.8.486; πέδας ἕ. trail fetters after one, Hdt.3.129; ἕ. χλανίδα let one's cloak trail behind, Ephipp.19(anap.); “θοἰμάτιον” Archipp.45.
3. tear in pieces (used by Hom. only in the form ἑλκέω)“, ὀνύχεσσι παρειάν” E. Tr.280; worry, “τὰς κύνας ὥλαφος ἕλκοι” Theoc.1.135; “ἑλκυσθῆναι ὑπὸ κυνός” Hdt.1.140.
b. metaph., carp at, Pi.N.7.103.
4. draw a bow, “ἕλκε . . γλυφίδας τε λαβὼν καὶ νεῦρα βόεια” Il.4.122, cf. Od.21.419, Hdt. 3.21, X.An.4.2.28, etc.
II. after Hom.,
1. pull a barge-pole, Hdt.1.194.
2. tow a ship, Th.2.90, etc.
3. drag into court, “ἕλκω σε κλητεύσοντα” Ar.Nu.1218, cf. 1004 (Pass.); “εἰς ἀγοράν” Act.Ap.16.19; drag about, esp. with lewd violence, “ἕλκει καὶ βιάζεται” D.21.150; μηδένα ἕλξειν μηδ᾽ ὑβριεῖν ib. 221; “ἕλκειν γυναῖκα” Lys.1.12: metaph., ἄνω κάτω τοὺς λόγους ἕ. Pl. Tht.195c, cf. Arist.SE167a35; “ἡμέας ὁ καιρὸς ἕλκει” Herod.2.10; also ἥλκυσμαι λαμπαδάρχης I have been compelled to serve as λ., BGU l.c.
4. draw or suck up, [“ἥλιος] ἕλκει τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπ᾽ ἑωυτόν” Hdt.2.25; ἕ. τὸν ἀέρα draw it in, breathe it, Hp.Aër.19, Ti.Locr.101d (Pass.), cf. Philyll.20: ζωὴν φύσιν Archel. ap. Antig.Mir.89; esp. of persons drinking, drink in long draughts, quaff, “μέθυ” E.Ion1200; “ἄμυστιν” Id.Cyc.417; τὴν . . τοῦ Πραμνίου [σπονδήν] Ar.Eq.107; οἶνον ἐκ . . λεπαστῆς TeleclId.24 (lyr.); “ἀπνευστί” Antiph.74.14, etc.: with acc. of the cup, “δέπας μεστὸν . . ἕλκουσι γνάθοις ἀπαύστοις” Id.237, cf. Eub. 56.7, al.; so ἕ. μαστόν suck it, E.Ph.987; inhale, “ὀσμήν” Antig.Mir. 89; of roots, draw up nourishment, Thphr.HP1.6.10: metaph., χανδὸν καὶ ἀμυστὶ τῶν μαθηυάτων ἕ. Eun.VSp.474D.
6. ἕ. βίοτον, ζόαν, drag out a weary life, E.Or.207 (lyr.), Ph.1535 (lyr.); προφάσιας ἕ. keep making excuses, Hdt.6.86; “πάσας τε προφάσεις . . ἕλκουσι” Ar.Lys.727; ἕ. χρόνους make long, in prosody, Longin.Proll. Heph.p.83C.: hence intr., ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο λέγεται ἑλκύσαι τὴν σύστασιν . . that the conflict dragged on, lasted, Hdt.7.167, cf. PHib.1.83.9 (iii B.C.):—Pass., “τῶν ἐγκλημάτων εἱκλυσμένων πλείονα χρόνον” Supp.Epigr.2.281 (Delph., ii B.C.); also of a person, “ἑλκόμενος καὶ μόγις” Pl. R.350d.
8. draw to oneself, attract, of the magnet, E.Fr.567; by spells, “τινὰ ποτὶ δῶμα” Theoc.2.17, cf.X.Mem.3.11.18, Plot.4.4.40, etc.; πείθειν καὶ ἑ. Pl.R.458d; “ἐχθροὺς ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτόν” D.22.59; draw on, “ἐπὶ ἡδονάς” Pl.Phdr.238a; “εἰς τυραννίδας ἕ. τὰς πολιτείας” Id.R.568c:—Pass., to be drawn on as by a spell, “ἴυγγι δ᾽ ἕλκομαι ἦτορ” Pi.N.4.35; “πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν” Pl.R.494e.
9. of things weighed, ἕ. σταθμὸν τάλαντα δέκα draw down the balance, i.e. weigh ten talents, Hdt.1.50, cf. Eup.116: abs., τὸ δ᾽ ἂν ἑλκύσῃ whatever it weigh, Hdt. 2.65; πλεῖον ἕ. Pl.Min.316a.
10. draw or derive from a source, “ἐντεῦθεν εἵλκυσεν ἐπὶ τὴν . . τέχνην τὸ πρός φορον αὐτῇ” Pl.Phdr.270a, cf. Jul.Or.7.207a; “τὸ γένος ἀπό τινος” Str.11.9.3; assume, “μείζω φαντασίαν” Plb.32.10.5; “ὁ ἄρτος ἕλκει χρῶμα κάλλιστον” Ath.3.113c.
11. ἑλκύσαι πλίνθους make bricks, Hdt.1.179, cf. PPetr.3p.137; ἕ. λάγανον Chrysipp. Tyan. ap. Ath.14.647e.
13. ἕ. ἑαυτόν, expressing some kind of athletic exercise, Pl.Prm. 135d.
B. Med., ἕ. χαίτας ἐκ κεφαλῆς tear one's hair, Il.10.15; ἀσσοτέρω πυρὸς ἕλκετο δίφρον drew his chair nearer to the fire, Od.19.506, cf. Semon.7.26.
3. ἕλκεσθαι στάθμας περισσᾶς in Pi.P.2.90, means lit., to drag at too great a line, i.e.grasp more than one's due-- but whence the metaphor is taken remains unexplained.