A.three-footed, of or with three feet: and so,
I. measuring three feet, “τ. τὸ εὖρος” Hdt.3.60; “τ. πλάτος” IG12.372.14, al.; ὅρους . . μὴ ἔλαττον ἢ τρίποδας ib.22.2492.24; τ. [γραμμή] Pl.Men.83e; ἡ τ. [δύναμις] the side of a square three feet in area, Id.Tht.147d.
II. going on three feet, prov. of an old man who leans on a staff, “τρίποδι βροτῷ” Hes.Op.533 (but τρίποδι βροτοὶ ἶς οι is prob. cj.); “τρίποδας ὁδοὺς στείχει” A.Ag.80 (anap.); cf. τριτοβάμων, and see the Sphinx's riddle in AP14.64.
III. of tables, vessels, etc., three-legged, “τ. λέβης” A.Fr.1; “τράπεζα” Ar.Fr.530; “ὑπόβασις” Semus 15 :—but mostly
1. tripod, i.e. three-legged cauldron, Il.18.344, Od.8.434, etc.; “τ. ἐμπυριβήτης” Il.23.702; “ὑψίβατος τ. ἀμφίπυρος” S.Aj.1405 (anap.); ἄπυροι τ. tripods untouched by fire, i.e. new, unused, Il.9.122, cf. Paus.4.32.1; used as κρατῆρες, Semus l. c., Phylarch.44J.; given as prizes, Il.11.700, 23.264, al.; as gifts of honour, 8.290, Od.13.13; in Crete used as currency, GDI4969.130; placed as votive gifts in temples, esp. in that of Apollo at Delphi, Th.1.132, SIG697 L3 (Delph., ii B. C.), etc.; “ἡ τοῦ τ. ἀνάθεσις” Lys.21.2; these were then called τ. ἀναθηματικοί, Δελφικοί, Apollon.Lex.; a street at Athens adorned with these gifts was called οἱ Τρίποδες, Paus.1.20.1; or they were preserved in private houses, Pi.I.1.19; they were mostly of bronze, Paus.4.12.8, but sts. of precious metals, even of gold, Pi.P.11.4, Hdt.9.81, Ar.Pl.9, Paus.10.13.9; sts. of wood, “ξύλινοι τ.” Id.4.12.8; from a tripod the Delphic Priestess delivered her oracles, E.Ion91 (anap.), Or.164 (lyr.), Orac. ap. Ar.Eq.1016, etc.: metaph., ὁπόταν ἐν τῷ τ. τῆς Μούσης καθίζηται [ὁ ποιητής] Pl.Lg.719c: prov., ἐκ τρίποδος λέγειν, i. e. authoritatively, Ath.2.37f; τὰ ἀπὸ τ., τὰ ἐκ τ., Zen.6.3, Diogenian.8.21, cf. Plu.Dem.29.
b. Τρίπους, name of a work by Nausiphanes, D.L.10.14; of a work by Glaucias the Empiric, Gal.Subf.Emp.p.63B.
2. as a landmark, SIG826 E 13.23 (Delph., ii B. C.), 827 D15 (ibid., ii A.D.).
3. three-legged table, X.An.7.3.21, Plu.Cleom.13; κύκλος τρίποδος the circular top of . . , Artem.5.20, cf. 1.74.
4. a kind of ear-ring, Poll.5.97.