A.twist up, roll up, of a whirlwind, “μή σ᾽ ἀναρπάσῃ . . συστρέψας ἄφνω” A.Fr.195, cf. Ar.Lys.975, Th.61; “φρυγάνων πλῆθος” Act.Ap.28.3; “ἔριον περὶ μηλωτρίδα” POxy.234 ii 12 (ii/iii A.D.); of animals, gather themselves together, in preparing to spring, “ς. ἑαυτὸν ὥσπερ θηρίον” Pl.R.336b; ς. τὸν αὐχένα, of one struggling to get loose, Eup.339; τὰ ὄμματα διὰ κενῆς, ὡς εἴ τι βλέπων, ξυνέστρεφε screwed up his eyes, Hp.Epid.7.83; συστρέψαι ἑαυτούς, of dolphins, Arist.HA631a27; [“τὸ χόριον] ς. περὶ αὑτὸ τὴν ὑστέραν” Sor.1.71:— Pass., εἰ τὸ χόριον εἰς αὑτὸ συνεστραμμένον εἴη ib.73; συνεστραμμένη χείρ clenched fist, ib.102; of a whirlwind, Men.536.4; of the moon, dub. sens. in Palchus in Cat.Cod.Astr.8(1).250.
II. of soldiers, ς. ἑωυτούς form in a compact body, for attack or defence, collect themselves, rally, Hdt.9.18; ς. εἰς ταὐτό (sc. τὰς ἵππους) Arist.HA572b14: freq. in Pass., συστραφέντες in a body, Hdt.4.136, 6.6, cf.40; “συστρεφόμενοι” Id.9.62, Th.7.30; “ξυνεστρέφοντο ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς” Id.2.4; ὅσον . . ἦν ξυνεστραμμένον ibid.; “ἐπὶ πεντήκοντα ἀσπίδων συνεστραμμένοι ἦσαν” they were formed in a mass 50 deep, X.HG6.4.12; so of bees, fishes, Arist. HA629a19, 621a16.
2. of soldiers, also, συστρέφειν ἐπὶ δόρυ wheel them to the right, v.l. in X.Lac.13.6; so prob. ς. τὸν ἵππον turn him sharply, Plu.Pyrrh.16; “ς. τὴν ὄψιν” Satyr.3.
III. form into an organized whole, unite, “τὸ Μηδικὸν ἔθνος” Hdt.1.101; “τοὺς τὰς οὐσίας ἔχοντας” Arist.Pol.1304b23:—Pass., club together, conspire, Th.4.68, 8.54; “ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ συστραφέντες ἥκουσι” Aeschin.2.178, cf. LXX 4 Ki.10.9:—in Act., ib.3 Ki.16.9.
IV. Pass., collect, gather, “ς. αἷμα ἐς . . ” Hp.Aph.5.40; “νιφετοῦ συστραφέντος” Arist.Mu.394b2; of humours, gather, come to a head, “φύματος συστραφέντος” Hp.Prog.23; of gravel collecting in the bladder, Id.Aër.9.
V. make the hair curl, Theodect.17.3:—Pass., συνεστραμμένα ξύλα knotted, gnarled, Thphr.HP3.11.2; “ς. ῥίζα” Id.CP1.3.3; “κιττὸς συνεστραμμένος ταῖς ῥίζαις” Id.HP3.18.9.
VI. condense, congeal, harden, “τὸ ψυχρὸν συστρέφον καὶ συσφίγγον” Ath.2.41b; of condensing fluids by heat, “ἐν ἡλίῳ” Dsc.3.7 (Act. and Pass.), cf. Gal.12.834, Aët.7.91; τὰ γυμνάσια τὰς σάρκας ς. Antyll. ap. Orib.6.10.15:—Pass., to be condensed, acquire substance or consistency, ἀφρὸς ς. Arist.HA569b18; esp. in pf. part. Pass., σπέρμα ξηρὸν καὶ συνεστραμμένον ib.523a24; νέφος ἐστὶ πάχος ἀτμῶδες ς. Id.Mu.394a27; πῦρ ς. concentrated, Epicur.Ep.1p.28U.; compact, “ς. τὸ εὐπαγές” Phld.Po.Herc.994.34; σωμάτιον ς. Arr.Epict. 1.24.8; συστρέφεσθαι καὶ ἀπεψῦχθαι, of an infant, Sor.1.108; γάλα μελιτοειδῶς συστραφέν ib.91.
VII. of sentences, narratives, and the like , bring into a close form, compress, “ἐὰν μὴ συστρέφῃ τὰ πράγματα” Cratin.85; ἐνθυμήματα ς. Arist.Rh.1419a19; ς. τὰ νοήματα, τὸν νοῦν ἐν ὀλίγοις ὀνόμασι, D.H.Isoc.11, Pomp.2.5: abs., συστρέψας γράφει writes briefly, curtly, Aeschin.3.100; “ς. εἰπεῖν τὸ πρᾶγμα” D.H. Lys.24:—freq. in Pass., ῥῆμα βραχὺ καὶ συνεστραμμένον a short and pithy saying, of the Spartans, Pl.Prt.342e; λέξις συνεστραμμένη, opp. διῃρημένη, D.H.Rh.5.7; “ἡ Ἀττικὴ γλῶσσα ς. τι ἔχει” Demetr. Eloc.177; “συνέστραπται τοῖς νοήμασι” D.H.Lys.5. cf. Dem.19.
b. also, speak or write in an involved style, twist one's words, Antiph.52.17, 217.17.