στῆθος, εος, τό, breast, of both sexes, being the front part of the θώραξ, divided into two μαστοί ( Arist. HA 493a12, PA 688a13, al.), Hom. and later (cf. στέρνον ), esp. in Prose, rare (and usu. metaph.) in post-Homeric verse; found once in Pi., twice in B., twice in A., never in S. or E. (v. infr. 1, 11); βάλε ς. παρὰ μαζόν Il. 4.480; ἔβαλε ς. μεταμάζιον 5.19; κληῒς ἀποέργει αὐχένα τε στῆθός τε 8.326, cf. Pl. Ti. 69e, 79c (pl.), Prt. 352a (pl.): in pl., διὰ στήθεσφιν ( Ep. gen.) ἔλασσε Il. 5.41; στήθεά τ’ ἠδ’ ἁπαλὴν δειρήν (of Briseis) 19.285; of animals, 11.282, 16.163, al., cf. X. Cyn. 4.1, Arist. HA 496a9, 15, al., PCair.Zen. 532.7, 18 (iii B.C.), BGU 469.7 (ii A.D.); ς. φάσσης ἑψημένης Sor. 2.41, cf. 1.51: as the seat of the voice and breath, Il. 3.221, 9.610, B. 5.15, A. Th. 563 (lyr.), 865 (anap.); more freq. as the seat of the heart, Il. 1.189, Od. 1.341, Sapph. 2.6, etc.; chest, Hp. Prorrh. 1.70, Ar. Nu. 1012, 1017 (both anap.), Th. 2.49 (pl.), Diocl.Fr. 142, IG 42(1).121.100 (pl., Epid., iv B.C. ), freq. in Arist. (v. supr.), PEnteux. 79.7 (iii B.C.), PTeb. 316.19 (i A.D.), Sor. 1.70b, al.; τὰ ς . breasts of a woman, Hp. Mul. 2.133 .
II metaph., the breast as the seat of feeling and thought, as we use heart, freq. in Hom., but always in pl., θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ὄρινε Il. 2.142, al.; θάρσος ἐνὶ ς. ἐνῆκεν 17.570; ἔχει κότον . . ε[]ν ς. ἑοῖσι 1.83; ἐν γάρ τοι ς. μένος πατρώϊον ἧκα 5.125; νόον καὶ θυμὸν ἐνὶ ς. ἔχοντες 4.309; μῆτιν ἐνὶ ς. κέκευθε Od. 3.18, cf. Pi. Fr. 218, B. 10.54: in Prose, εἰπεῖν ἃ ἔφησθα ἐν τῷ ς. ἔχειν Pl. Phdr. 236c; πλῆρες τὸ ς. ἔχειν ib. 235c .
III = cross στέρνον 111, breastbone, Hp. Art. 14 .
2. ball of the foot, ib. 55, 58, cf. Epid. 4.1, Ruf. Onom. 125; τὸ σαρκῶδες [τοῦ ποδὸς] κάτωθεν στῆθος Arist. HA 494a13; ball of the hand (below the thumb), Ruf. Onom. 86; (below the fingers), Gal. 14.704; palm, dub. in Hp. Oss. 9: cf. προστηθίς .
3. swelling, tumour, ἐν τῷ ἥπατι Aret. CA 2.6 (pl.). breastshaped hill or bank, Plb. 4.41.3, PMasp. 169b47 (vi A.D.), cf. Hsch. ( στῆθος has pan-Hellenic η, Sapph., Pi. ll.cc., IG 42(1) l.c., Call. Lav.Pall. 88, Theoc. 2.79, 15.108, 135 .)