A.“-εας” Il.5.269 (Hom. has regul. fem. “θήλεια” Il.8.7,al., but also θῆλυς as fem., 10.216,al., as in other poets, v. infr.): Ion. fem. θήλεα, θήλεαν, θηλέης, θηλέῃ, pl. θήλεαι, θηλέας, θηλέων, Hdt. and Hp.: gen. “θήλυδος” S.Fr.1054; acc. fem. θηλείην dub. l. in Nic.Al.42, neut. pl. “θήλεια” Arat.1068: Ep. also θηλύτερος indicating opposition rather than comparison (cf. ἀρρέντερος）“; θηλύτεραι δὲ γυναῖκες” Il.8.520; “θηλύτεραι δὲ θεαί” Od.8.324; “μάτε ἐρσεναιτέραν μάτε θηλυτέραν” Schwyzer 424 (Elis, iv B.C.); in late Prose θηλύτερος, -ύτατος occur as Comp. and Sup. (v. infr. 11): (θη- 'suckle', cf. θῆσαι):—female, θήλεια θεός a goddess, Il.8.7; Ἥρη θῆλυς ἐοῦσα being female, 19.97, cf. A.Ag.1231, S.Tr.1062, E.IT621; θήλειαι ἵπποι mares, Od.4.636, etc.; σύες θήλειαι sows, 14.16; ὄϊς θῆλυς a ewe, Il.10.216; “θήλεια μῆλα” Arat. 1068; θήλεια ἔλαφος a hind, Pi.O. 3.29; “θήλεα κάμηλος” Hdt.3.102; ἡ θ. ἵππος ib.86; “θ. ὄρνις” S.Fr.477; ζῷα θ. Pl.Criti.110c; ἄπαις θήλεος γόνου without female issue, Hdt.3.66; “θῆλυς σπορά” E.Hec.659; “θήλειαι γυναῖκες” Id.Or.1205; “θ. κόραι” Pl.Lg.764d: with masc. nouns, ὁ θῆλυς ὀρεύς the she-mule, Arist.HA 577b22; “ἄνθρωπος θῆλυς” Id.PA688b31: masc. pl., “θήλεις χοροί” Critias 1.8D.; but “μὴ εἶναι θεοὺς ἄρρενας μηδὲ θηλείας” Phld.Piet.12.
b. ἡ θήλεα, Att. -εια, the female, Hdt.3.109, X.Mem.2.1.4; “ἀλέκτωρ ὥστε θηλείας πέλας” A.Ag.1671 (troch.).
c. τὸ θ. γένος the female sex, woman-kind, E.Hec.885; τὸ θ. alone, Id.HF536, etc.; opp. τὸ ἄρρεν, Pl.R.454d, Arist.Metaph.988a5; [“ἡ δεῖνα] τέτοκεν θῆλυ” PTeb.422.18 (iii A.D.),al.
d. of plants and trees, Thphr.HP3.9.1; “θ. κάλαμος” Dsc.1.85; “θῆλυς φοῖνιξ” Ach.Tat.1.17; “θῆλυ βούτομον” Thphr.HP4.10.4.
2. of or belonging to women, “κουράων θῆλυς ἀϋτή” Od.6.122; θήλεα νοῦσος among the Scythians (cf. Ἐνάρεες), Hdt.1.105; “νόμος” A. Ch.821 (lyr.); “φύσις” Pl.R.453a; “χάρις” APl.4.<*>87 (Leont.); θ. φόνος murder by women, E.Ba.796.
II. metaph., of persons and things,
b. “ὕδωρ θ. καὶ μαλακόν” Thphr.CP2.6.3; θηλυτέρα ὀσμή ib.6.15.4; θηλύτατον πεδίον most fruitful, Call.Fr. 296; θηλύτατον ὕδωρ of the Nile, Id.Sos.vii 5.
2. tender, delicate, “Φοίβου θήλειαι . . παρειαί” Id.Ap.37; θῆλυς ἀπὸ χροιῆς delicate of skin, Theoc.16.49; of temper or character, soft, yielding, weak, “θῆλυς ηὕρημαι τάλας” S.Tr.1075; “γυνὴ δὲ θῆλυ κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυ” E.Med.928; “θήλεια φρήν” Ar.Lys.708, cf. E.Andr.181; “δίαιτα θηλυτέρα ἢ κατ᾽ ἄνδρα” Plu.Mar.34; “θηλύτατος” Luc.Im.13; “παλλακὴ -υτάτη” Philostr.VS2.21.2; τὸ θῆλυ τῆς ψυχῆς effeminacy, Men.599.
3. in mechanics, those parts were called female into which others fitted, as the female vertebra, Poll.2.180; “γίγγλυμος” J.AJ3.6.3.
5. Pythag., of even numbers, Plu.2.264a, 288d.
