A.v. ὄψ B) eye, used by Hom. and Hes. mostly in pl.; “ὀφθαλμοὶ δ᾽ ὡς εἰ κέρα ἕστασαν . . ἀτρέμας ἐν βλεφάροισι” Od.19.211: sg., παίειν τινὰ ἐς τὸν ὀ. Hdt.9.22: the pl. continued most common, but the dual also occurs, as in Ar.Nu.362: pl. is used in many phrases, ἐλθέμεν ἐς ὀφθαλμούς τινος before one's eyes, Il.24.204; οὐδ᾽ Ἀχιλῆος ὀφθαλμοὺς εἴσειμι ib.463; ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν, ὁρᾶσθαι, etc., 10.275, Od.4.47, etc.; but ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὁρᾶν, νοεῖν, to see before one's eyes, 8.459, Il.24.312; ἔχειν ἐν ὀ. to have before one's eyes, X.An.4.5.29; τὰ ἐν ὀ. what is before one's eyes, Pl.Tht.174c; τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὀ. δὴ γελοῖον what was ridiculous to the eye, Id.R.452d; ἐπίπροσθε τῶν ὀ. Id.Smp.213a; “πρὸ τῶν ὀ. προφαίνεσθαι” Aeschin.2.148; “ἐπ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν” Luc. Tox.20; γενέσθαι τινὶ ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν to get out of any one's sight, Hdt.5.106; “ἐξ ὀ. ἀποπέμψασθαι” Id.1.120; “ἐξ ὀ. ποιεῖν” Alciphr. 3.20; κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγειν τινί to tell one to one's face, opp. εἰς οὖς, Ar.Ra.626; τυράννου κατ᾽ ὀ. κατηγορεῖν to accuse him to his face, X. Hier.1.14: sg. in the phrase πρὸς ὀφθαλμὸν ἐπιχεῖν, μίσγειν, by eye, PHolm.7.23, PLeid.X.62; eyes were painted on the bows of vessels, “βλοσυροῖς κατὰ πρῷραν ὀφθαλμοῖς οἷον βλέπει” Philostr.Im.1.19, cf. IG22.1607.24, Poll.1.86; whence the joke in Ar.Ach.97.
II. in sg., the eye of a master or ruler, πάντα ἰδὼν Διὸς ὀ. Hes.Op.267; “Δίκης ὀ. ὃς τὰ πάνθ᾽ ὁρᾷ” Men.Mon.179; “δεσπότου ὀ.” X.Oec.12.20; ἀκοίμητος ὀ., of God, Secund.Sent.3; so a king is called “ὀ. οἴκων” A.Ch.934 (so “ὄμμα” Pers. 169); and in Persia ὀφθαλμὸς βασιλέως the king's eye was a confidential officer, through whom he beheld his kingdom and subjects, A.Pers.979(lyr.), Hdt.1.114, Ar.Ach.92, X.Cyr.8.2.10 sq., Arist.Pol. 1287b29, Ph.1.642; cf. οὖς.
III. the eye of heaven, ἑσπέρας ὀ., νυκτὸς ὀ., of the moon, Pi.O.3.20, A.Th.390; also οὐράνιος ὀ., of the sun, Secund.Sent.5.
IV. the dearest, best, as the eye is the most precious part of the body, hence of men, ὀ. Σικελίας, στρατιᾶς, Pi.O.2.10, 6.16; also, light, cheer, comfort, “μέγας <γ᾽> ὀ. οἱ πατρὸς τάφοι” S.OT 987, cf. E.Andr.406.
V. eye or bud of a plant or tree, Alcm.43, Ion Eleg.1.6, Hp.Nat.Puer.26, X.Oec. 19.10, Thphr.HP1.8.5, etc.
VII. Archit., in dual, the disks forming the centres of the volutes of an Ionic capital, IG12.374.291.