A.line of battle, battle-array, Hom. only in Il., once in sg., “Τρώων ῥῆξε φάλαγγα” Il.6.6: elsewh. pl.the ranks of an army in battle, “Δαναοὶ ῥήξαντο φάλαγγας” 11.90; “φάλαγγες ἀνδρῶν” 19.158, Hes. Th.935; “τῶν κάτω Διὸς φαλάγγων” S.Ichn. (lyr.) in PTeb. 692 iii 10.
2. heavy infantry (ὁπλῖται) in battle-order, X.An.1.8.17, al.; ἡ φ. τῶν ὁπλιτῶν ib.6.5.27, cf. D.9.49; opp. πελτασταί, X.An.6.5.25; opp. ἱππεῖς, Id.Cyr.6.3.2, Ages.2.9; “τοὺς ἱππεῖς πρὸ τῆς φ. ἔστησαν” D.S.20.10, cf. Plu.Crass.23; but “οἱ Ἕλληνες ἱππεῖς ὥσπερ φ. ἐπὶ τεττάρων παρατεταγμένοι” X.HG3.4.13: esp. line of battle, opp. κέρας (column in marching order), ἐπὶ φάλαγγος ἄγειν, opp. κατὰ κέρας or ἐπὶ κέρως ἄγειν, Id.Cyr.1.6.43; of ships, Id.HG6.2.30; ἐκ κέρατος εἰς φ. καταστῆσαι to form from column into line, Id.Cyr.8.5.15; “παρ᾽ ἀσπίδα παραγαγόντας τὴν ἐνωμοτίαν ἐπὶ φάλαγγος” Id.An.4.3.26; “ἐπὶ φάλαγγος καθίστασθαι” Id.Cyr.6.3.21, cf. An.6.5.7,25.
b. main body, centre, opp. the wings (κέρατα), Id.Cyr.7.1.6, al.
3. esp. of the Macedonian phalanx, Plb.18.29sqq., etc.
4. in writers on Tactics:
d. contingent of 64 elephants, ib.23.
5. metaph., “λοπάδων παρατεταγμένη φ.” Diph.44.3; of a band of pupils, Lib.Ep.145.1; of a governor's staff (Lat. officium), Id.Or.46.11.
II. round piece of wood, trunk, log, “φάλαγγες ἐβένου” Hdt.3.97; “ἐκ κοτίνοιο φ.” A.R.2.843; “φ. πύξιναι” IG11(2).287 B145 (Delos, iii B. C.).
3. arm of a balance, Arist.Mech. 849b36; arm of the Danish steelyard, ib.853b25.
III. = φάραγξ, BGU 282.18 (ii A. D.).
IV. bone between two joints of the fingers and toes, Arist.HA493b29; pl., Ruf.Onom.84 (but metacarpals, [Ruf.] Oss. 22).
2. row of eyelashes, Paul.Aeg.6.8.
V. = φαλάγγιον 1, Ar. V.1509, Ra.1314 (lyr.), Pl.Com.22, X.Mem.3.11.6: masc. in Arist. HA609a5. (The orig. sense was prob. log, cf. OHG balcho 'beam', Lat. sufflamen (for sub-flag-men) 'brake'.)