the shadow of the gnomon, the length of which in feet indicated the time of day
, ὅταν ᾖ δεκάπουν τὸ σ. when the
shadow
is ten feet long, Ar.Ec.652, v. Sch.; ὁπηνίκ' ἂν εἴκοσι ποδῶν ..τὸ ς. ᾖEub.119.7, cf. Philem.83. II.
element
, 1. a
simple sound
of speech, as the
first component
of the syllable, Pl.Cra.424d; τὸ ῥῶ τὸ σ. ib.426d; γραμμάτων ς. καὶ συλλαβάσId.Tht.202e; ς. ἐστι φωνὴ ἀδιαίρετοσArist.Po.1456b22; φωνῆς ς. καὶ ἀρχαὶ δοκοῦσιν εἶναι ταῦτ' ἐξ ὧν σύγκεινται αἱ φωναὶ πρώτωνId.Metaph.998a23, cf.Gal.15.6:— στοιχεῖα therefore, strictly, were different from
letters
(γράμματα), Diog.Bab.Stoic.3.213, Sch.D.T.p.32, al., but are freq. not clearly distd. from them, as by Pl.Tht.l.c., Cra.426d; τὰ ς. τῶν γραμμάτων τὰ τέτταρα καὶ εἴκοσιAen.Tact.31.21; ς. ε̄
letter
ε (in a filing-system), BGU959.2 (ii A.D.); ἀκουόμενα σ.
letters
which are pronounced, A.D.Adv.165.17; γράμματα and σ. are expressly identified by D.T.630.32; the σ. and its name are confused by A.D.Synt.29.1, but distd. by Hdn.Gr. ap. Choerob.in Theod.1.340, Sch.D.T. l.c.:— κατὰ στοιχεῖον
in the order of the letters, alphabetically,
AP11.15 (Ammian.); dub.sens.in Plu.2.422e. 2. in Physics, στοιχεῖα were the
components into which matter is ultimately divisible, elements
, reduced to four by Empedocles, who called them ῥιζὤματα, the word στοιχεῖα being first used (acc. to Eudem. ap. Simp.in Ph.7.13) by Pl., τὰ πρῶτα οἱονπερεὶ ς, ἐξ ὧν ἡμεῖς τε συγκείμεθα καὶ τἄλλαTht.201e; τὰ τῶν πάντων σ. Plt.278d; αὐτὰ τιθέμενοι ς. τοῦ παντόσTi.48b, cf. Arist.GC314a29, Metaph.998a28, Thphr.Sens.3, al., D.L.3.24; ς. σωματικάArist.Mete.338a22, Thphr.Fr.46; ἄτομα σ. Epicur.Ep.2p.36U.; equivalent to ἀρχαί, Thales ap.Plu.2.875c, Anaximand. ap. D.L.2.1, Anon. ap. Arist.Ph.188b28, Metaph.1059b23, al.; but Arist. also distinguishes σ. from ἀρχή as less comprehensive, ib.1070b23; τὰ ς. ὕλη τῆς οὐσίασ ib.1088b27; τρία τὰ σ. Id.Ph.189b16; distd. from ἀρχή on other grounds by Stoic.2.111; σ. used in three senses by Chrysipp., ib.136, cf. Zeno ib.1.24, al.; in Medicine, Gal.6.3, 420, al., 15.7, al.; Αἰθέρ, κόσμου ς. ἄριστονOrph.H.5.4; ἀνηλεὲς σ., of the sea, Babr.71.4; τὸ σ., of the sea, Polem.Cyn.44; ἄμφω τὰ σ., i.e. land and sea, ib.11, cf. Hdn.3.1.5, Him.Ecl.2.18. 3. the
elements of proof
, e.g. in general reasoning the πρῶτοι συλλογισμοί, Arist.Metaph.1014b1; in Geometry, the propositions whose proof is involved in the proof of other propositions, ib.998a26, 1014a36; title of geometrical works by Hippocrates of Chios, Leon, Theudios, and Euclid, Procl.in Euc.pp.66,67,68F.: hence applied to whatever is one, small, and capable of many uses, Arist.Metaph.1014b3; to whatever is most universal, e.g. the unit and the point, ib.6; the line and the circle, Id.Top.158b35; the τόποσ (argument applicable to a variety of subjects), ib.120b13, al., Rh.1358a35, al.; στοιχεῖα τὰ γένη λέγουσί τινεσId.Metaph.1014b10; τὸ νόμισμα ς. καὶ πέρας τῆς ἀλλαγῆσ coin is the
unit ..
of exchange, Id.Pol.1257b23; in Grammar, ς. τῆς λέξεωσ
parts
of speech, D.H.Comp.2; but also, the
letters
composing a word, A.D.Synt.313.7;
letters
of the alphabet, Diog. Bab.Stoic.3.213; ς. τοῦ λόγου the