I.a foot, Lat. pes, pedis, Hom., etc.; in pl., also, a bird's talons, Od.; the arms of a polypus, Hes.; ξύλινος π., of an artificial foot, Hdt.: phrases in respect to the footrace, περιγιγνόμεθ᾽ ἄλλων πόδεσσιν, to be better than others in running, Od.; ποσὶν ἐρίζειν to race on foot, Il.; ποσὶ νικᾶν, ἀέθλια ποσσὶν ἄροντο Hom.:—the dat. ποσί is added to all kinds of Verbs denoting motion, ποσὶ βῆναι, δραμεῖν, ὀρχεῖσθαι, etc.; for πόδα βαίνειν, v. βαίνω A. II. 3:—metaph., νόστιμον ναῦς ἐκίνησεν πόδα started on its homeward way, Eur.
2.as a mark of close proximity, πρόσθεν ποδός or ποδῶν, προπάροιθε ποδῶν just before one, Hom.; πὰρ ποδί close at hand, Pind.; but, παρά or πὰρ ποδός off-hand, at once, Theogn.:—so, παρὰ πόδα in a moment, Soph.; παρὰ πόδας Plut.:— ἐν ποσί, like ἐμποδών, close at hand, Hdt., attic; τὰ πρὸς ποσί Soph.:—these phrases are opp. to ἐκ ποδῶν, out of the way, far off, Hdt. (cf. ἐκποδών).
3.to denote close pursuit, κατὰ πόδας on the track, Lat. e vestigio, id=Hdt., attic; c. gen. pers., κατὰ πόδας τινος ἔρχεσθαι, ἰέναι to come close at his heels, Hdt.
4.various phrases: ἐπὶ πόδα backwards, facing the enemy, ἐπὶ π. ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀνάγειν, ἀναχάζεσθαι to retire leisurely, Lat. pedetentim, Xen.
d.ἔξω τινὸς πόδα ἔχειν to have one's foot out of a thing, i. e. be clear of it, ἔξω κομίζου πηλοῦ πόδα Aesch.; πημάτων ἔξω πόδα ἔχειν id=Aesch.:—opp. to εἰς ἄντλον ἐμβῆσαι πόδα, Eur.
e.to denote energetic action, ἀμφοῖν ποδοῖν, Ar.; βοηθεῖν ποδὶ καὶ χειρὶ καὶ πάσῃ δυνάμει Aeschin.; for ὀρθῷ ποδί, v. ὀρθός II.
5.πούς τινος, periphr. for a person, σὺν πατρὸς μολὼν ποδί, i. e. σὺν πατρί, Eur.; παρθένου δέχου πόδα id=Eur.:—also, ἐξ ἑνὸς ποδός, i. e. μόνος ὤν, Soph.; οἱ ἀφ᾽ ἡσύχου π., i. e. οἱ ἡσύχως ζῶντες, Eur.
2.in a ship, πόδες are the lower corners of the sail or the ropes fastened thereto, the sheets, Od.; χαλᾶν πόδα to slack away or ease off the sheet, Eur.; τοῦ ποδὸς παριέναι to let go hold of it, Ar.; ἐκπετάσαι πόδα (with reference to the sail), Eur.: —opp. to τείνειν πόδα, to haul it tight, Soph.; ναῦς ἐνταθεῖσα ποδί a ship with her sheet close hauled, Eur.
III.a foot, as a measure of length, 4 palms (παλασταί) or 6 fingers, about 1/8 of an inch longer than our foot, Hdt., etc.
IV.a foot in Prosody, Ar., Plat.