σῆμα

A. sign, mark, token, Il. 10.466, 23.326, Od. 19.250, etc.; of the star on a horse's forehead, Il. 23.455; ἥβης σήματα γεινομένης Sol. 27.4; νέφος ς. χειμῶνος Archil. 54; esp.

1. sign from heaven, omen, portent, in phrases, σήματα φαίνω Il. 2.353, cf. 308; κτύπε Ζεύς, ς. τιθεὶς Τρώεσσι 8.171; δεικνὺς ς. βροτοῖσι 13.244; θεοῦ σάμασιν πιθόμενοι Pi. P. 4.200, cf. 1.3; φλογωπὰ ς. A. Pr. 498, cf. Ch. 259; of things heard as well as seen, ἔπος φάτο ς. ἄνακτι Od. 20.111.

2. generally, sign to do or begin something, τόδε ς. τετύχθω 21.231; ς. ἀροτοῖο Hes. Op. 450; esp. watchword, τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει E. Rh. 12 (anap.), cf. 688; battle-sign, signal, ς. μάχης Id. Ph. 1378.

3. sign by which a grave is known, mound, cairn, barrow, Il. 2.814, etc.; τοῦ δὲ τάφον καὶ σῆμ’ ἀϊδὲς ποίησεν Ἄναυρος Hes. Sc. 477; ἐπὶ σῆμ’ ἔχεεν raised a mound, Il. 6.419, etc.; ς. κυνός E. Hec. 1273: c. dat. pers., σῆμά τέ οἱ χεύω Od. 2.222; σῆμά τέ μοι χεῦαι . . ἀνδρὸς δυστήνοιο 11.75; σάματι πὰρ Πέλοπος Pi. O. 10(11).24; grave, tomb, Hdt. 1.93, 4.72, Berl.Sitzb. l.c., etc.; τὸ δημόσιον ς. Th. 2.34; στῆλαι ἀπὸ σημάτων Id. 1.93, cf. Ar. Th. 886,888, etc.; ἤδη του . . ἤκουσα τῶν σοφῶν ὡς τὸ μὲν σῶμά ἐστιν ἡμῖν ς. Pl. Grg. 493a, cf. Cra. 400c.

4. mark to show the cast of a quoit or javelin, ὑπέρβαλε σήματα πάντων Il. 23.843; ὑπέρπτατο ς. πάντων Od. 8.192; also, boundary, D.P. 18.

5. token by which any one's identity or commission was certified, μιν ἐρέεινε καὶ ᾔτεε ς. ἰδέσθαι Il. 6.176, cf. 178; ς. λυγρά, of written characters or symbols, ib.168; mark, token on the lot of Ajax, 7.189; so, device or bearing on a shield, by which a warrior is known, freq. in A. Th., as 387, 404, E. El. 456 (lyr.); of the seal set on a box, τῶνδ’ ἀποίσεις ς. S. Tr. 614; mark made by an illiterate person, PMasp. 163.37 (vi A.D.).

6. constellation, mostly in pl., heavenly bodies, S. Fr. 432; also λαμπρότατος μὲν ὅ γ’ ἐστί, κακὸν δέ τε σῆμα τέτυκται, of Sirius, Il. 22.30. (Perh. cogn. with Skt. dhyāti 'thinks'.)