A.“νέκυϊ” Il.16.526, etc.; Ep. dat. pl. “νεκύεσσι” Od.11.491, νέκυσσι ib.569, 22.401, 23.45; acc. pl. “νέκυ_ς” Il.7.420, 18.180, Od.24.417, E.Fr.176.4; also “νέκυας” Il.7.418, al.:—corpse, freq. in Il., less freq. in Od.; in Il.4.492,493, νέκυς and νεκρός are used of the same dead person; “ν. ἀνδρός” Hdt.1.140, cf. 3.16, 24, S.Ant.26, E.Or.1585; ν. τεθνηώς, κατατεθνηώς, Il. 18.173, 16.526; νέκυες κατατεθνηῶτες, κτάμενοι, καταφθίμενοι, Od.10.530, 23.45, 11.491; “ἀνδρὸς Πέρσεω ὁ ν.” Hdt.1.140, cf.3.16; “ὁ κατθανὼν ν.” S.Ant.515; dead person, “νεκύων σώματα” E.Supp.62 (lyr.).
2. in pl., spirits of the dead, freq. in Od.11, less freq. in Il.; “νεκύων ἀμενηνὰ κάρηνα” Od.11.29, cf.Il.15.251; “πεδ᾽ ἀμαύρων ν.” Sapph.68.
II. as Adj. dead, post-Hom., ἐχθρὸν ὧδ᾽ αἰδῇ νέκυν; S.Aj.1356; “κίχλαι αἱ νέκυες” AP11.96 (Nicarch.); cf. however Il.24.35,423.—Poet. word, used also by Hdt., in IG22.1672.119 (iv B.C.), in Cretan, Kohler-Ziebarth Stadtrecht von Gortyn p.35, and in late Prose, Plu.Crass.19, Hdn.4.8.5. [υ_ of nom. and acc. sg. in Hom., Il.4.492, 22.386, etc.; υ^ Simon.114.5, E.Supp.70 (lyr.), Or.1585, and in later Poets, A.R. 4.480, Bion 1.71, AP7.1 (Alc. Mess.).] (Cf. Avest. nasu- 'corpse', Skt. náśyati 'perish', 'disappear', Lat. necare.)