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πούς

I.a foot, Lat. pes, pedis, Hom., etc.; in pl., also, a bird's talons, Od.; the arms of a polypus, Hes.; ξύλινος π., of an artificial foot, Hdt.: phrases in respect to the footrace, περιγιγνόμεθ᾽ ἄλλων πόδεσσιν, to be better than others in running, Od.; ποσὶν ἐρίζειν to race on foot, Il.; ποσὶ νικᾶν, ἀέθλια ποσσὶν ἄροντο Hom.:—the dat. ποσί is added to all kinds of Verbs denoting motion, ποσὶ βῆναι, δραμεῖν, ὀρχεῖσθαι, etc.; for πόδα βαίνειν, v. βαίνω A. II. 3:—metaph., νόστιμον ναῦς ἐκίνησεν πόδα started on its homeward way, Eur.
2.as a mark of close proximity, πρόσθεν ποδός or ποδῶν, προπάροιθε ποδῶν just before one, Hom.; πὰρ ποδί close at hand, Pind.; but, παρά or πὰρ ποδός off-hand, at once, Theogn.:—so, παρὰ πόδα in a moment, Soph.; παρὰ πόδας Plut.:— ἐν ποσί, like ἐμποδών, close at hand, Hdt., attic; τὰ πρὸς ποσί Soph.:—these phrases are opp. to ἐκ ποδῶν, out of the way, far off, Hdt. (cf. ἐκποδών).
3.to denote close pursuit, κατὰ πόδας on the track, Lat. e vestigio, id=Hdt., attic; c. gen. pers., κατὰ πόδας τινος ἔρχεσθαι, ἰέναι to come close at his heels, Hdt.
4.various phrases: ἐπὶ πόδα backwards, facing the enemy, ἐπὶ π. ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀνάγειν, ἀναχάζεσθαι to retire leisurely, Lat. pedetentim, Xen.
b.περὶ πόδα, properly of a shoe, round the foot, i. e. fitting exactly, Theophr., Luc.
c.ὡς ποδῶν ἔχει as he is off for feet, i. e. as quick as he can, Hdt.
d.ἔξω τινὸς πόδα ἔχειν to have one's foot out of a thing, i. e. be clear of it, ἔξω κομίζου πηλοῦ πόδα Aesch.; πημάτων ἔξω πόδα ἔχειν id=Aesch.:—opp. to εἰς ἄντλον ἐμβῆσαι πόδα, Eur.
II.metaph. of things, the foot or lowest part, esp. the foot of a hill, Lat. pes montis, Il., etc.
2.in a ship, πόδες are the lower corners of the sail or the ropes fastened thereto, the sheets, Od.; χαλᾶν πόδα to slack away or ease off the sheet, Eur.; τοῦ ποδὸς παριέναι to let go hold of it, Ar.; ἐκπετάσαι πόδα (with reference to the sail), Eur.: —opp. to τείνειν πόδα, to haul it tight, Soph.; ναῦς ἐνταθεῖσα ποδί a ship with her sheet close hauled, Eur.
III.a foot, as a measure of length, 4 palms (παλασταί) or 6 fingers, about 1/8 of an inch longer than our foot, Hdt., etc.
IV.a foot in Prosody, Ar., Plat.

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