I. yoke of a plough or carriage, “ζ. ἵππειον” Il.5.799, 23.392; “ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἤγαγεν ἵππους” 5.731, cf. Od.3.383; “ἐπὶ ζυγὸν αὐχένι θεῖναι βουσί” Hes.Op.815, cf. 581; ὑπὸ ζυγόφιν (i.e. ζυγοῦ)“ λύον ἵππους” Il.24.576: prov., τὸν αὐτὸν ἕλκειν ζ. 'to be in the same boat', Aristaenet.2.7, Zen.3.43; “ταὔτ᾽ ἐμοὶ ζ. τρίβεις” Herod.6.12.
2. metaph., “ἐπὶ ζυγὸς αὐχένι κεῖται” h.Cer.217; “ἐχθροῖσιν ὑπὸ ζυγὸν αὐχένα θήσω” Thgn.1023; ἐπαυχένιον λαβεῖν ζ. Pi.P.2.93; δούλιον ζ. the yoke of slavery, Hdt.7.8.γ́, A.Th.75 (pl.), 471, etc.; δουλείας, ἀνάγκης ζ., S.Aj.944, E.Or.1330; “ὑπὸ ζυγῷ λόφον δικαίως εἶχον” S.Ant.291; ἐπιτιθέναι τινὶ ζυγὰ τοῦ μὴ . . so as to prevent . . , X.Cyr.3.1.27; “ζυγῷ ζυγῆναι” Pl.R.508a; “ἄγειν ὑπὸ τὸν ζ. τινάς” Plb.4.82.2, cf. D.H.3.22; “ὑπὸ τὸν ζ. ὑπαγαγεῖν” D.C.Fr.36.10; “ζυγὸν ὑποστῆναι” D.H.10.20.
III. in pl., thwarts or benches joining the opposite sides of a ship, Od.9.99, 13.21, Hdt.2.96: rarely in sg., “θοὸν εἰρεσίας ζυγόν” S.Aj.249 (lyr.): metaph., of the seat of authority compared to the helmsman's seat, “ἐς τὸ πρῶτον πόλεος ζ.” E.Ion595; “ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἐπὶ ζυγοῖς καθέζετ᾽ ἀρχῆς” Id.Ph.74; σὺ ταῦτα φωνεῖς νερτέρᾳ προσήμενος κώπῃ, κρατούντων τῶν ἐπὶ ζυγῷ δορός; while on the main thwart sits authority, A.Ag.1618; also of a coachman's seat, box, PMasp.303.15 (vi A.D.).
IV. beam of the balance, “ζυγὸν ταλάντου” A.Supp.822 (lyr.), cf. Arist.Mech.850a4: hence, the balance itself (cf. πῆχυς IV), “αἴρειν τὸν ζυγόν” Pl.Ti.63b; ἐν πλάστιγγι “ζυγοῦ κεῖσθαι” Id.R.55oe; ζυγῷ or ἐν τῷ ζ. ἱστάναι, Lys.10.18, Pl. Prt.356b; “ζυγὸν ἱστάναι” D.Prooem.55: in pl., Id.25.46, SIG975.39 (Delos, iii B.C.): prov., “ζ. μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν” Pythag. ap. D.L.8.18.
VIII. rank or line of soldiers, opp. file (στοῖχος)“, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ζ. ἐμάχοντο τέσσαρες” Th.5.68; “ὁ ζυγός” Polyaen.4.4.3 (“τὰ ζυγά” 2.10.4); κατὰ ζυγόν line with line, Plb.1.45.9; “κατ᾽ ἄνδρα καὶ ζ.” Id.3.81.2; esp. front rank, Ael.Tact.7.1, Arr.Tact.8.1; also of the Chorus, Poll.4.108.
X. measure of land, SIG963.13 (Amorgos, iv B.C.).