A.garment worn next the skin, tunic.
I. in early times, only of a man's tunic (the woman's being πέπλος, Sch.BT Il.2.42), “χιτῶνα περὶ χροΐ δῦνεν” Od.15.60; “κιθῶνας ὑποδύνειν τοῖσι εἵμασι” Hdt.1.155: sts. with a girdle, Od.14.72; “τερμιόεις” 19.242, Hes.Op. 537; μαλακός, ἐΰννητος, Od.1.437, Il.24.580; [“χ.] λαμπρός . . ἠέλιος ὥς” Od.19.234; “χλαῖνάν τε χιτῶνά τε” 14.132, 154; “οἱ δ᾽ ἀροτῆρες ἤρεικον χθόνα δῖαν ἐπιστολάδην δὲ χιτῶνας ἐστάλατ᾽” Hes.Sc.287.
2. later worn also by women, “ἅμα κιθῶνι ἐκδυομένῳ συνεκδύεται καὶ τὴν αἰδῶ γυνή” Hdt.1.8; “σύροισα χιτῶνα” Theoc.2.73; the Ionian sleeved χ. was distd. fr the Dorian, fastened with “περόναι, μετέβαλον [αἱ τῶν Ἀθηναίων γυναῖκες] ἐς τὸν λίνεον κ. ἵνα δὴ περόνῃσι μὴ χρέωνται” Hdt. 5.87; “οἱ πρεσβύτεροι [τῶν Ἀθηναίων] οὐ πολὺς χρόνος ἐπειδὴ χιτῶνας λινοῦς ἐπαύσαντο φοροῦντες” Th.1.6, cf. Eust.954.50; χ. ποδήρης, ὀρθοστάδιος, στατός (v. sub vocc.); κιθὼν ποδηνεκής, worn by Babylonians, Hdt.1.195; κιθῶνες λίνεοι περὶ τὰ σκέλεα θυσανωτοί, worn by Egyptians, Id.2.81; κιθῶνες εἰρίνεοι, worn by Cilicians, Id.7.91; dub. in E.IT288(pl.).
II. coat of mail, prob. of leather covered with scales or rings, “στρεπτὸς χ.” Il.5.113; “χ. χάλκεος” 13.439; κιθῶνες χειριδωτοὶ λεπίδος σιδηρέης coats of iron scales with sleeves, Hdt.7.61 (s. v.l.): but distd. fr. “θώρηξ” Id.9.22, cf. X.Cyr.6.4.1.
III. part of a shoe that coats the foot, upper, ib.8.2.5 (pl.), Arist.Rh.1392a31.
IV. metaph., any coat, case, or covering, λάϊνος χιτών (v. λάϊνος) τειχέων κιθῶνες, i. e. walls, Hdt.7.139; in Anatomy, coat, membrane, “τὸν ἀμφὶ τὴν ὄψιν χ.” Hp.VM19, cf. Aph.7.45, Epicur. Nat.2.993.1; “ὁ . . χ. τῆς καρδίας” Arist.Resp.480a4; χ. ὑμενώδης, ἀραχνιώδης, Id.PA679a1, HA557b16; τοῦ ᾠοῦ οἱ χ. οἱ περιέχοντες ib. 561a14; of foetal membranes, Sor.1.7,58, al.; τριγλοφόροι χιτῶνες, of fishing-nets, AP6.11 (Satyr.); χιτῶνες ἀραχνίων spiders' webs, Hp.Int.3: pl., pods or coats of seeds, bulbous roots, etc., Thphr. HP1.12.3, 8.4.1, CP1.4.1, al.