youthful prime, youth
ἥβ-η, Dor.
ἥβα, Aeol.
ἄβα
Alc. 101 ,ἡ: (v. sub fin.):—
A. youthful prime, youth, νεηνίῃ ἀνδρὶ ἐοικώς, πρῶτον ὑπηνήτῃ, τοῦ περ χαριέστατος ἥβη
Od. 10.279
, cf. Il. 24.348 ; καὶ δ' ἔχει ἥβης ἄνθος ὅ τε κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον
13.484
, cf. Hes. Th. 988 ; ἐρικυδής
Il. 11.225
, Hes.l.c.; πολυήρατος
Od. 15.366
, etc.;ἥβης μέτρον ἱκέσθαιorἱκάνειν,
= ἡβάσκειν , 11.317 , 18.217 , etc.; ἥβην πολυήρατον ἱκόμεθ'
15.366
, cf. Il. 24.728 ;ἥβης ἀπόνασθαι, ταρπῆναι, 17.25 , Od. 23.212 ; ἐφ' ἥβης
Ar. Eq. 524
;θρέψασθαί τινα πρὸς ἥβηνuntilmanhood, Pl. Mx. 238b ; μέχρι ἥβης
Th. 2.46
.
b. strength and vigour of youth, [ δίσκον] ἀφῆκεν . . πειρώμενος ἥβης
Il. 23.432
; ἥβῃ τε πεποίθεα χερσί τ' ἐμῇσι
Od. 8.181
, cf. 16.174 ; ἥβης ἀκμή
S. OT 741
: in pl., καρποτρόφοι νεάνιδες ἧβαι
E. Ion 477
(lyr.).
c. as a legal term,ἥβηwasthe time before manhood, at Athens sixteen years of age, AB 255.15 ; fourteen acc. to EM 359.17 , Harp.
s.v. ἐπιδιετές ; at Sparta eighteen,τὰ δέκα ἀφ' ἥβης(sc.ἔτη), i.e. men of twentyeight, X. HG 2.4.32 , 3.4.23 ;τὰ τετταράκοντα ἀφ' ἥ. ib. 6.4.17 ; of women, ἐπεὶ δ' ἐς ἥβην ἦλθεν ὡραίαν γάμων
E. Hel. 12
.
d. of oxen, ἥβης μέτρον ἔχοντε
Hes. Op. 438
; of thefreshskin of a snake, Nic. Th. 138 .
2. metaph.,cheer, merriment, Pi. P. 4.295 ; δαιτὸς ἥβη
E. Cyc. 504
(lyr.); also,youthful fire, spirit, Pi. P. 6.48 .
3. body of youth, A. Pers. 512 , 733 , Ag. 109 (lyr.), etc.
4. the pubes, Hp. Epid. 3.4 , Ar. Nu. 976 , Theopomp.Com. 37 , Arist. HA 493b3 ,al.
II. a kind ofvine, Hsch. ; Dor.
ἇβαι(pl.)v.l. in
Theoc. 5.109 .
III. pr.n.,Ἥβη Hebe, Il. 4.2 , Od. 11.603 , Hes. Th. 950 ; later allegorized asgoddess of youth.(Cf. Lith.jėgà'power'.)
