Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

A.surety, pledge.

I. property held or seized as a pledge or compensation, ῥύσι᾽ ἐλαυνόμενος driving off his cattle in distraint, Il.11.674; “ῥύσια δόντες” Sol.11.3 (v.l. ῥύματα protection); μεῖζον ῥύσιον πόλει θήσεις: ἐφάψομαι γὰρ οὐ ταύταιν μόναιν, i.e. Oedipus shall himself be seized, not his daughters alone, as a pledge or surety to Thebes, S.OC858; ἐπαγέτω ῥύτιον δέκα στατήρων shall impose a pledge of ten staters, SIG l.c.; “ῥύσιον θεὶς τὸν παῖδα” J.BJ1.14.1; ῥύσια κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἄγων ib.1.19.2; ῥύσια τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῶν παρ᾽ ἐκείνοις “λῃστῶν ἐποιεῖτο” Id.AJ16.9.2; τῆς προθεσμίας παρελθούσης ῥύσια λαμβάνειν ib.16.10.8; “ῥύσια καθέξοντες ἀνθ᾽ ὧν . . ἀφείλοντο . . Ῥωμαῖοι χρημάτων” D.H.5.33.

2. stolen property taken back as compensation for the theft, “τοῦ ῥυσίου θ᾽ ἥμαρτε” A.Ag.535; ῥυσίων ἐφάπτορες laying hands on alleged stolen property, Id.Supp.728, cf. 412.

II. reprisals, φόνον φόνου ῥύσιον τείσω suffer death as reprisals for death, S.Ph.959; ῥύσια κατήγγειλαν τοῖς Ῥοδίοις proclaimed reprisals, Plb.4.53.2; κατὰ ῤῥύσιον by way of distraint or reprisals, IG12(2).15.19 (Mytil., iii B.C.); but κατὰ ῥύσιον prob. in search of persons to seize and hold to ransom, ib.12(5).653.11 (Syros, i B.C.).

2. ῥύσια, τά, the right of reprisals, “ᾐτοῦντο ῥύσια τοὺς Ἀ χαιοὺς οἱ Δήλιοι κατὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων” Plb.32.7.4; ἀπέδωκε τοῖς αἰτουμένοις τὰ ῥ. κατὰ τῶν Βοιωτῶν granted the right of reprisals against . . , Id.22.4.13.

III. ῥύσια, τά (cf. ῥύσιος), restitution, deliverance, “Ἔπαφος ἀληθῶς ῥυσίων ἐπώνυμος” A.Supp.315.

2. offerings for deliverance, “ῥ. ἀνάγουσιν” D.P.527; ὠδίνων ῥ. AP6.274 (Pers.).