A.sign, mark, token, Il.10.466, 23.326, Od.19.250, etc.; of the star on a horse's forehead, Il.23.455; “ἥβης σήματα γεινομένης” Sol.27.4; “νέφος ς. χειμῶνος” Archil.54; esp.
1. sign from heaven, omen, portent, in phrases, “σήματα φαίνω” Il.2.353, cf. 308; “κτύπε Ζεύς, ς. τιθεὶς Τρώεσσι” 8.171; “δεικνὺς ς. βροτοῖσι” 13.244; “θεοῦ σάμασιν πιθόμενοι” Pi. P.4.200, cf. 1.3; φλογωπὰ ς. A.Pr.498, cf. Ch.259; of things heard as well as seen, “ἔπος φάτο ς. ἄνακτι” Od.20.111.
2. generally, sign to do or begin something, “τόδε ς. τετύχθω” 21.231; “ς. ἀροτοῖο” Hes. Op.450; esp. watchword, “τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει” E.Rh.12 (anap.), cf. 688; battle-sign, signal, “ς. μάχης” Id.Ph.1378.
3. sign by which a grave is known, mound, cairn, barrow, Il.2.814, etc.; “τοῦ δὲ τάφον καὶ σῆμ᾽ ἀϊδὲς ποίησεν Ἄναυρος” Hes.Sc.477; ἐπὶ σῆμ᾽ ἔχεεν raised a mound, Il.6.419, etc.; “ς. κυνός” E.Hec.1273: c. dat. pers., “σῆμά τέ οἱ χεύω” Od. 2.222; “σῆμά τέ μοι χεῦαι . . ἀνδρὸς δυστήνοιο” 11.75; “σάματι πὰρ Πέλοπος” Pi.O.10(11).24; grave, tomb, Hdt.1.93, 4.72, Berl.Sitzb. l.c., etc.; τὸ δημόσιον ς. Th.2.34; “στῆλαι ἀπὸ σημάτων” Id.1.93, cf. Ar.Th.886,888, etc.; ἤδη του . . ἤκουσα τῶν σοφῶν ὡς τὸ μὲν σῶμά ἐστιν ἡμῖν ς. Pl.Grg. 493a, cf. Cra.400c.
4. mark to show the cast of a quoit or javelin, “ὑπέρβαλε σήματα πάντων” Il.23.843; “ὑπέρπτατο ς. πάντων” Od.8.192; also, boundary, D.P.18.
5. token by which any one's identity or commission was certified, “μιν ἐρέεινε καὶ ᾔτεε ς. ἰδέσθαι” Il.6.176, cf. 178; ς. λυγρά, of written characters or symbols, ib.168; mark, token on the lot of Ajax, 7.189; so, device or bearing on a shield, by which a warrior is known, freq. in A.Th., as 387, 404, E.El.456 (lyr.); of the seal set on a box, τῶνδ᾽ ἀποίσεις ς. S.Tr.614; mark made by an illiterate person, PMasp.163.37 (vi A.D.).
