A). the object by which one swears, as the Styx among the gods, Στυγὸς ὕδωρ, ὅς τε μέγιστος ὅ. δεινότατός τε πέλει μακάρεσσι θεοῖσι Il. 15.38 , cf. 2.755 , Hes. Th. 400 , 784 , 805 , h.Cer. 259 , Arist. Metaph. 983b31 ; or as Zeus among mortals, Pi. P. 4.167 ; so of things, ὅρκον δ’ ἐνοσφίσθης μέγαν, ἅλας τε καὶ τράπεζαν Archil. 96 ; οἷς ἦν μέγιστος ὅ ... κύων, ἔπειτα χήν Cratin. 231 , cf. Placit. 1.3.8 : hence,

2). oath, mostly with epith. μέγας, καρτερός, Hom. (v. infr.), etc.; θεῶν ὅ. an oath by the gods, Od. 2.377 ; μακάρων ὅ. 10.299 , cf. S. OT 647 , E. Hipp. 657 ; ὅ. ἐκ θεῶν μέγας A. Ag. 1284 ; ὅ. κατὰ τῶν .. ὀφθαλμῶν Aeschin. 2.153 ; ὅ. πλατύς a firm-based oath, Emp. 30.3 ; ὅρκον ὀμόσαι swear an oath, ὄμοσέν τε τελεύτησέν τε τὸν ὅ. Od. 2.378 , etc.; ὅ. ἀπώμνυ ib. 377 , cf. 10.381 ; ἐπὶ δ’ ὅρκον ὀμεῖται Hes. Op. 194 ; κατομόσαι E. IT 790 ; ὅ. ἐπιορκῆσαι take a false oath, Aeschin. 1.115 , etc.; ὅρκου προστεθέντος when an oath is added, S. Fr. 472 , cf. El. 47 ; δαίμονι τῷ Πλεισθενιδῶν ὅρκους θεμένη having made a sworn compact with .. , A. Ag. 1570 (anap.); ὅ. ἀλλήλοις ποιοῦνται οἱ μὲν ἔφοροι ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως, βασιλεὺς δ’ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ X. Lac. 15.7 ; ὅρκους συνῆψαν E. Ph. 1241 , etc.; of the person demanding the oath, ὅ. ἑλέσθαι τινός or τινί take it of him, i.e. make him swear, Od. 4.746 , Il. 22.119 ; ὅρκους ἐπελάσαι and προσάγειν τινί lay oath upon a man, put him on his oath, Hdt. 1.146 , 6.62 , 74 ; τὸν ὅ .. . ἐπάγειν .. Ὀποντίοις readminister the oath, IG 9(1).334.12 ( Locr., v B. C.); ὅρκους δοὺς καὶ δεξάμενος after tendering his oath to them and accepting theirs, Hdt. 6.23 , cf. IG 12.52.18 , A. Eu. 429 , Ar. Ra. 589 , D. 39.3 and 4 ; so ὅρκον διδόναι καὶ λαμβάνειν Arist. Rh. 1377a7 , 8 ; ἀποδοῦναι take it oneself, D. 19.318 , Aeschin. 3.74 ; ἀπολαμβάνειν administer or tender it, D. 5.9 , 18.25 ; ὅρκους καὶ πίστιν ἀλλήλοις δότε swear to one another, Ar. Lys. 1185 , cf. And. 1.107 ; ὅρκοις καταλαβὼν τὰ τέλη having bound the authorities by oaths, Th. 4.86 ; ὅρκοις κατειλημμένους Id. 1.9 ; ὅρκῳ ἐμμένειν abide by it, E. Med. 754 ; ὅ. τηρεῖν Democr. 239 ; παραβαίνειν E. Fr. 286.7 , Ar. Av. 332 , D. 19.318 ; ἐκβάντι τῶν ὅ. Pl. Smp. 183b ; ἐκλιπεῖν E. Supp. 1194 ; συγχέαι Id. Hipp. 1063 ; ἐμπεδοῦν X. An. 3.2.10 : after ὅρκος aor., pres., or fut. inf. may refer to fut. time, ὤμοσα καρτερὸν ὅ., μὴ .. ἀναφῆναι Od. 4.253 ; ἐμεῦ δ’ ἕλετο μέγαν ὅ., μὴ πρὶν σοὶ ἐρέειν ib. 746 ; ὅρκους ἔδοσαν καὶ ἔλαβον, ἀποδοῦναι .. , Ἀθηναίους δὲ μὴ πολεμεῖν .. X. HG 1.3.9 : with Preps., οὐκ αὔτως .. , ἀλλὰ σὺν ὅρκῳ Od. 14.151 ; σὺν θεῶν ὅρκῳ X. Cyr. 2.3.12 ; εἶπαι ἐπ’ ὅρκου say on oath, Hdt. 9.11 ; κατὰ τοὺς ὅ. X. HG 5.4.54 ; opp. παρ’ ὅρκον Pi. O. 13.83 ; παρὰ τοὺς ὅ. X. An. 2.5.41 : prov., ὅρκους ἐγὼ γυναικὸς εἰς ὕδωρ γράφω S. Fr. 811 ; parodied by Philonid. 7 ὅρκους δὲ μοιχῶν εἰς τέφραν .. γράφω, cf. Xenarch. 6 , Men. Mon. 25 .

II). Ὅρκος, personified, son of Eris, Hes. Op. 804 ; a divinity who punishes the false and perjured, ib. 219 , Th. 231 , Orac. ap. Hdt. 6.86 .γ/; Διὸς Ὅ., as servant of Zeus, S. OC 1767 (anap.). (Cogn. with ἕρκος.)