A.“ξύλεα” Abh. Berl. Akad. 1928(6).32 (Cos, v B. C.)), wood cut and ready for use, firewood, timber, etc., Hom., mostly in pl., Il.8.507,547, Od.14.418 ; ξ. νήϊα ship-timber, Hes.Op. 808 ; “ξ. ναυπηγήσιμα” Th.7.25, X.An.6.4.4, Pl.Lg.706b, D.17.28 ; ξ. τετράγωνα logs cut square, Hdt.1.186, cf. Pl.Prt.325d, Arist.EN 1109b7.
II. in sg., piece of wood, log, beam, post, once in Hom., “ξ. αὖον . . ἢ δρυὸς ἢ πεύκης” Il.23.327 ; ξ. σύκινον spoon made of fig wood, Pl.Hp.Ma.291c ; peg or lever, Arist.MA701b9 ; perch, “ἐπὶ ξύλου καθεύδειν” Ar.Nu.1431 : by poet. periphr., “Ἀργοῦς ξύλον” A.Fr.20 ; ἵπποιο κακὸν ξ., of the Trojan horse, AP9.152 (Agath.) : hence anything made of wood, as,
2. cudgel, club, Hdt.2.63,4.180, Ar.Lys.357, PHal.1.187 (iii B.C.); “μετὰ ξύλων εἰσπηδῆσαι” PTeb.304.10 (ii A.D.); “ξύλοις συντρίψειν” Luc.Demon.50 ; of the club of Heracles, Plu.Lyc.30.
3. an instrument of punishment,
a. wooden collar, put on the neck of the prisoner, “ξύλῳ φιμοῦν τὸν αὐχένα” Ar.Nu.592 ; “ἐς τετρημένον ξ. ἐγκαθαρμόσαι . . τὸν αὐχένα” Id.Lys.680 ; or,
b. stocks, in which the feet were confined, Hdt.9.37, 6.75, Ar.Eq.367, D.18.129 ; “ξ. ἐφέλκειν” Polyzel.3 ; “ἐν τῷ ξ. δεδέσθαι” Lys.10.16 (v. ποδοκάκκη), cf. Act.Ap.16.24, OGI483.181 (Pergam., ii A.D.) : also in pl., “ἔδησεν ἐν τοῖς ξ.” And.1.45.
c. πεντεσύριγγον ξύλον (v. sub voc.) was a combination of both, with holes for the neck, arms, and legs, Ar.Eq.1049.
d. gallows, “κρεμάσαι τινὰ ἐπὶ ξύλου” LXX De.21.22 ; ξ. δίδυμον ib.Jo.8.29 : prov., ἐξ ἀξίου τοῦ ξύλου κἂν ἀπάγξασθαι, i.e. if one must be hanged, at least let it be on a noble tree, App.Prov.2.67, cf. Ar.Ra.736 ; in NT, of the cross, Act.Ap.5.30,10.39.
e. stake on which criminals were impaled, Alex.222.10.
4. bench, table, esp. money-changer's table, D.45.33.
5. πρῶτον ξύλον front bench in the Athenian theatre, Ar.Ach.25, V.90, cf. Sch.adlocc. : hence οὑπὶ τῶν ξύλων the official who had to take care of the seats, Hermipp.9 (according to Meineke).
6. the Hippocratic bench, Hp.Fract.13, Art.72.
III. of live wood, tree, “[ὄρος] δασὺ πολλοῖς καὶ παντοδαποῖς καὶ μεγάλοις ξύλοις” X.An.6.4.5, cf. Call.Cer.41, Agatharch.55, LXX Ca.2.3, al. : opp. σάρξ, Thphr.HP1.2.6,al. ; “τῷ ξ. τοῦ δένδρου ἀνάλογον τὴν λεγομένην εἶναι γῆν” Plot.6.7.11 ; “τὸ ξ. τῆς ἀμπέλου” E.Cyc.572; εἴρια ἀπὸ ξύλου, of cotton, Hdt.3.47 ; “εἵματα ἀπὸ ξύλων πεποιημένα” Id.7.65, cf.Poll.7.75.
