Part

Construction of the Whole and Part in Poetry.—In Homer and later poets a verb may take two objects, one denoting the person, the other the part especially affected by the action: τὸν δ᾽ ἄορι πλῆξ᾽ αὐχένα him he smote in the neck with his sword Λ 240, ἥ σε πόδας νίψει she will wash thy feet τ 356. But the accusative of the part, often explained as an appositive, was an external object (1554 b) that became an accusative of respect (1601 a). In Ἀχαιοῖσιν δὲ μέγα σθένος ἔμβαλ᾽ ἑκάστῳ καρδίῃ and she set mighty strength in the heart of each of the Achaeans Λ 11, ἑκάστῳ is a partitive appositive, καρδίῃ is local dative and grammatically independent of Ἀχαιοῖσιν. The construction is very rare in prose: τοῖς ϝἱέσιν αὐτῶν ἀρετὴ παραγενομένη ταῖς ψῡχαῖς if virtue is imparted in the souls of their sons P. Lach. 190b.

The accusative of respect is employed

a. Of the parts of the body: ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν δάκτυλον ἀλγεῖ the man has a pain in his finger P. R. 462d, τυφλὸς τά τ᾽ ὦτα τόν τε νοῦν τά τ᾽ ὄμματ᾽ εἶ blind art thou in ears, and mind, and eyes S. O. T. 371, πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς Hom.

N.—The accusative of the part in apposition to the whole (985) belongs here, as is seen by the passive. Cp. τὸν πλῆξ᾽ αὐχένα him he smote on the neck Λ 240 (βάλε θοῦρον Ἄρηα κατ᾽ αὐχένα Φ 406) with βέβληαι κενεῶνα thou art smitten in the abdomen E 284.

b. Of qualities and attributes (nature, form, size, name, birth, number, etc.): διαφέρει γυνὴ ἀνδρὸς τὴν φύσιν woman differs from man in nature P. R. 453b, οὐδὲ ἔοικεν θνητᾱ̀ς ᾱ̓θανάτῃσι δέμας καὶ εἶδος ἐρίζειν nor is it seemly that mortal women should rival the immortals in form and appearance ε 213, ποταμός, Κύδνος ὄνομα, εὖρος δύο πλέθρων a river, Cydnus by name, two plethra in width X. A. 1.2.23 (so with ὕψος, βάθος, μέγεθος), πλῆθος ὡς δισχῑ́λιοι about two thousand in number 4. 2. 2, λέξον ὅστις εἶ γένος tell me of what race thou art E. Bacch. 460.

c. Of the sphere in general: δεινοὶ μάχην terrible in battle A. Pers. 27, γένεσθε τὴν διάνοιαν transfer yourselves in thought Aes. 3.153, τὸ μὲν ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ οἴχομαι, τὸ δ᾽ ἐπὶ σοὶ σέσωσμαι so far as I myself was concerned I was lost, but through you am saved X. C. 5.4.11. Often of indefinite relations: πάντα κακός base in all things S. O. T. 1421, ταῦτα ἀγαθὸς ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ἅπερ σοφός, ἃ δὲ ἀμαθής, ταῦτα δὲ κακός each one of us is good in matters in which he is skilled, but bad in those in which he is ignorant P. Lach. 194d.