ὄστρᾰκον, τό,
earthen vessel, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 1190, “Ec.” 1033, 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 3.28, 4.6 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; flower-pot, [[ 4th-3rd c.BC: Theophrastus Philosophus “Historia Plantarum” 6.7.3. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__2 fragment of such a vessel, potsherd, [[ Inscriptiones Graecae 42(1).121.82 (Epid., 4th c.BC, _plural_), LXX.Psa.21.16, +others, “Ostr.” 1152, etc.; ἰπνοῦ ὄστρακα 5th c.BC: Hippocrates Medicus “περὶ νούσων” 2.47 ] LXX+5th c.BC+]; especially the potsherd used in voting (see. ὀστρακίζω): hence τοὔστρακον παροίχεται the danger of ostracism is past, [[ 5th c.BC: Cratinus Comicus 71 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ὄστρακα, ={ὀστρακισμός}, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Comicus 187 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ ὄ. ἐπιφέρειν τινί to vote for any one's banishment, [[ 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Alcibiades” 13, compare “Per.” 14. ] Refs 1st c.AD+]
__3 ὀστράκου περιστροφή, of the game ὀστρακίνδα (which see), [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 521c ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; so ὀστράκου μεταπεσόντος 'if heads become tails', [[ [prev. author] “Phdr.” 241b. ] Refs]
__4 earthenware castanet, ἡ τοῖς ὀ. κροτοῦσα [Μοῦσα], of the poetry of Euripides, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 1305. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II the hard shell of snails, mussels, cuttle-fishes, tortoises, etc., [[ “hymnus ad Mercurium” 33, 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ichn.” 303 (uncertain reading), 5th c.BC: Hippocrates Medicus “Steril.” 245, 3rd c.BC: Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus 9.25, 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Historia Animalium” 528a4, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence, tortoise-shell or mother-of-pearl, κλιντῆρες ὀστράκοις.. ἐνδεδεμένοι probable reading in [[ 1st c.AD: Philo Judaeus 1.666 ] Refs 1st c.AD+]; the shell at the base of the constellation Lyra, [[ 1st c.BC: Ptolemaeus Epigrammaticus “Alm.” 7.5. ] Refs 1st c.BC+]