λᾱός , ὁ , Ion. ληός Hippon. 88 , Hdt. 5.42 ( v.l. λαόν , which is in all Mss. in 4.148 ), cj. in Mimn. 14.9 ; Att. λεώς , which is also used in Hdt. 1.22 , 8.136 , while the form λαός is sts. used in
λᾱός,ὁ, Ion.
ληός
Hippon. 88 , Hdt. 5.42 (
A.
v.l. λαόν , which is in all Mss. in 4.148 ), cj. in Mimn. 14.9 ; Att.
λεώς, which is also used in Hdt. 1.22 , 8.136 , while the formλαόςis sts. used in Trag., and once or twice even in Com. (v. infr. 1.3 ): also in Inscrr. and Pap. (v. infr.) and in late Prose, as Foed.Byz. ap. Plb. 4.52.7 (pl.), Str. 14.4.3 (pl.), Plu. 2.1096b , etc. (both forms in pr. nn., Λεωβώτης
Hdt. 7.204
, Λαβώτας
X. HG 1.2.18
, etc.).
1. in Il. ,λαός(λαοί) usu. meansmen, i.e. soldiers, both of the whole army and smaller divisions, κριτὸς ἔγρετο λ. Ἀχαιῶν
; mostly including bothfoot and horse, as 2.809 ; but sts.λαόςdenotesfoot, as opp. horse, 7.342 ; also,a land army, opp. a fleet, 4.76 , 9.424 , 10.14 ; also,the common men, opp. their leaders, 2.365 , 13.108 ; but
2. in Od. ,λαοί, more rarelyλαός, almost always meansmenorpeople; assubjectsof a prince, e.g. 3.214 , 305 , al. (λαοίis sts. so used in Il. , e.g. 17.226 , 24.611 ;λαοὶ ἀγροιῶταιcountry-folk, 11.676 ;work-people, 17.390 ); ofsailors, Od. 14.248 ; so after Hom. ,ναυτικὸς λεώςseafaringfolk, A. Pers. 383 ; πᾶς ὁ χειρῶναξ λεώς
S. Fr. 844
; ὁ γεωργικὸς λεώς
Ar. Pax 920
(lyr.): in sg.,slave,τὸν Εὐρυσθέως λεών, of Heracles, Hecat. 23
J. ; and so perh. λεὼς αὔτοικος
GDI 5533e
(Zeleia): more generally,μέροπες λαοί, i.e.mankind, A. Supp. 90 (lyr.);λ. ἐγχώριοιthe natives, ib. 517 , cf. Od. 6.194 ; esp. in Egypt, of the fellahin, PRev.Laws 42.11 - 16
(iii B. C.), PSI 4.380.5
(iii B. C.), etc.;civil population, opp. priests and soldiers, OGI 90.12 (Rosetta,ii B. C.), cf. 225.8 (Milet.,iii B. C.), al.
3. people assembled, as in the theatre, ὁ πολὺς λαῶν ὄχλος
Ar. Ra. 676
, cf. 219 (both lyr.); esp. in the Ecclesia, αἱ στίχες τῶν λαῶν
Id. Eq. 163
: hence the phraseἀκούετε λεῴhearO people!—the usual way of beginning proclamations at Athens,likeourOyez! Sus. 1.1 , Ar. Pax 551 , Av. 448 ;τιμῶσιν οἱ πάντες λεῴib. 1275 ; δεῦρ' ἴτε, πάντες λεῴ
II. a people, i.e. all who are called by one name, first in Pi. , Δωριεῖ λαῷ
O. 8.30
; Λυδῶν δὲ λαὸς καὶ Φρυγῶν
A. Pers. 770
; ξύμπας Ἀχαιῶν λαός
S. Ph. 1243
, cf. OT 144 , etc.;ἱππόται λαοί, i.e. the Thessalians, Pi. P. 4.153 , cf. 9.54 , N. 1.17 . (The resemblance betweenλαός peopleandλᾶος stone(cf.λᾶας) is implied in Il. 24.611
λαοὺς δὲ λίθους ποίησε Κρονίων(in the story of Niobe); and so Pi. explains the word from the legend of Deucalion, O. 9.46 , cf. Epich. 122 , Apollod. 1.7.2 ; but cf. Philoch. 12 .) (Fromλᾱϝ-, as shown by the pr.names Λαϝοπτόλεμος
