Skip to content

Search the Suda

Browse Topics Random About

After Suda On Line, the collaborative English translation of the Suda. Texts are © their translators and SOL, licensed CC BY-NC-SA. A non-commercial project.

About & credits Browse Topics Original SOL

⌕Search ΑLetters ⤨Random

Keyboard shortcuts

j: Next entry
k: Previous entry
g: Toggle Greek
/: Search
?: Show shortcuts

Διαβήτης · compass (δ 507) · Suda

Letters

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

Near δ507

δ503struts about
δ504I cross, I go across, I traverse
δ505Diabenos
δ506wanting to cross over
δ507compass
δ508Devil
δ509deliberation, council
δ510I thoroughly wish
δ511in a short time

Suda/Δ delta/δ507

← Previous entry,δ506 Next entry,δ508 →

Διαβήτης

compass

Translated by Nicholas Wilshere16 Oct 2004Vetting: high4 revisions

comedy
definition
mathematics
science and technology
trade and manufacture

1 note · 44 words

Translation

The compass [is] an instrument, useful for many crafts, [which is shaped] rather like the letter l[ambda]. By inserting one half of this instrument and moving the other half around, they make circles.¹
The name also refers to the thing which shows the time.²

Greek original · Adler’s text

Διαβήτης. ἐργαλεῖον ὁ διαβήτης, εὔχρηστος τέχναις πολλαῖς, τῷ λ στοιχείῳ παρεοικώς. τούτου τὸ ἓν μέρος ἐντιθέντες, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον περιάγοντες κύκλους ποιοῦσι. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ ὄνομα καιροῦ παραστατικόν.

Betacode

*diabh/ths. e)rgalei=on o( diabh/ths, eu)/xrhstos te/xnais pollai=s, tw=| l stoixei/w| pareoikw/s. tou/tou to\ e(\n me/ros e)ntiqe/ntes, to\ de\ e(/teron peria/gontes ku/klous poiou=si. shmai/nei de\ kai\ o)/noma kairou= parastatiko/n.

Notes (1)

[1] From a scholion on Aristophanes, Clouds 178, where the headword occurs (web address 1).
2This last sentence presumably refers to the gnomon of a sundial (gamma 346).

External resources

Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu

Neighbouring entries

δ505ΔιαβηνόςDiabenos δ506Διαβησείονταςwanting to cross over δ507Διαβήτηςcompass δ508ΔιάβολοςDevil δ509Διαβούλιονdeliberation, council

Revision history4 revisions · last 18 Jul 2016

18 Jul 2016another keyword — Catharine Roth
27 Jun 2012another keyword — David Whitehead
17 Oct 2004x-ref for n.2; further cosmetics — David Whitehead
16 Oct 2004added note, link, and keyword; set status — Catharine Roth
16 Oct 2004Translated — Nicholas Wilshere

Cite this entry

Suda On Line, s.v. Διαβήτης (Adler number delta 507), trans. Nicholas Wilshere, 16 Oct 2004. https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/delta/507

Translation by Nicholas Wilshere for Suda On Line, revised by Catharine Roth, David Whitehead, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Shown unchanged, under the same licence, non-commercially. Original on SOL ↗