ῥῆμα

A. that which is said or spoken, word, saying, Archil. 50, Thgn. 1152, Simon. 37.14,92 (where perh. it = ῥήτρα 11.2), Pi. (v. infr.), etc.; in Prose first in Hdt. (s.v.l.), ὁ νόος τοῦ ῥ. 7.162; τὰ λεγόμενά τινων [ῥήματα] 8.83; τοῦ Πιττακοῦ . . περιεφέρετο τοῦτο τὸ ῥ. Pl. Prt. 343b; τὸ δόγμα τε καὶ ῥ. Id. R. 464a; opp. ἔργματα, Pi. N. 4.6; opp. ἔργον, Th. 5.111; opp. τὸ ἀληθές, Pl. Phd. 102b: prov., ῥήματα ἀντ’ ἀλφίτων 'fine words butter no parsnips', ap.Suid.; ῥήματα πλέκων Pi. N. 4.94; ῥήματα θηρεύειν catch at one's words, And. 1.9; ῥ. ἱπποβάμονα, ῥ. μυριάμφορον, Ar. Ra. 821, Pax 521; ῥήματος ἐχόμενον depending on the word, Pl. Lg. 656c; τῷ ῥ. τῷ τόδε προσχρώμενοι the word τόδε, Id. Ti. 49e; τῷ ῥ. λέγειν, εἰπεῖν, say in so many words, Id. R. 340d, Grg. 450e, cf. Tht. 166d; κατὰ ῥῆμα ἀπαγγεῖλαι word for word, Aeschin. 2.122.

2. phrase, opp. ὄνομα (a single word), Pl. Cra. 399b, Aeschin. 3.72; λέγοντες ἐν μύθοις τε καὶ ἐν ῥήμασιν Pl. Lg. 840c.

b. verse, line, Ar. Ra. 1379, cf. 97.

3. subject of speech, matter, Hebraism in LXX and NT, Ge. 15.1, 22.1, De. 2.7, Ev.Luc. 1.37,65, 2.15; cf. ῥητός IV. 2.

II. Gramm., verb, opp. ὄνομα (noun), Pl. Sph. 262a sq., Cra. 425a, al., Arist. Po. 1457a14, Diog.Bab.Stoic. 3.213:— from the fact that a Verb usually forms the predicate (Arist. Int. 16b6), ῥῆμα is applied to an Adj. when used as a predicate, ib.16a13, 20b1.