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.).