ὕλη [υ_], h(,
A. [select] forest, woodland, Il.11.155, Od.17.316, Ep.Jac.3.5, etc.; “γῆν . . δασέαν ὕλῃ παντοίῃ” Hdt.4.21; “ἀπ᾽ ὕλης ἀγρίης ζώειν” Id.1.203; ὕλα ἀεργός virgin forest, Berl.Sitzb.1927.167 (Cyrene); τὰ δένδρα καὶ ὕλη fruit-trees and forest-trees, Th.4.69 (cf.δένδρον); not only of forest-trees, but also of copse, brushwood, undergrowth (cf. ὕλημα), directly opp. to timber-trees, X.An.1.5.1, Oec.16.13, 17.12, PSI6.577.8 (iii B. C.), Sor.1.40: also in pl., h.Cer.386, Hecat.291 J., Mosch.3.88, Plb. 5.7.10, D.S.3.48, D.H.Th.6, Str.5.1.12, 15.1.60, Plu.Pyrrh.25, Cat. Ma.21, Comp.Cim.Luc.3, Luc.Prom.12, Sacr.10, Am.12, Babr.12.2, al., Nonn.D.3.69,252, 16.91, 36.70, etc.
II. [select] wood cut down, Od.5.257 (cf. III); firewood, fuel, Il.7.418, 23.50,111, al., Od.9.234, Hdt.4.164,6.80; brushwood, Id.7.36, Th.2.75, etc.; timber, “ὕ. ναυπηγησίμη” Pl.Lg.705c; “ϝαυπηγήσιμος καὶ οἰκοδομική” Thphr.HP5.7.1, cf. IG42(1).102.50 (Epid., iv B. C.); also, twigs for birds' nests, Arist.HA559a2.
III. [select] the stuff of which a thing is made, material, (perh. so of wood), Od.5.257; rarely of other material, as metal, “οἱ παρ᾽ ἄκμονι . . ὕλην ἄψυχον δημιουργοῦντες” Plu.2.802b (cf. S.Fr.844, but ὕλη is Plutarch's word): generally, materials, PMasp.151.91 (vi A. D.).
2. [select] in Philosophy, matter, first in Arist. (Ti.Locr.93b, al. is later); defined as τὸ ὑποκείμενον γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς δεκτικόν, GC320a2; as τὸ ἐζ οὗ γίγνεται, Metaph.1032a17; οὐσία ἥ τε ὕ. καὶ τὸ εἶδος καὶ τὸ ἐκ τούτων ib.1035a2; opp. as δυνάμει τόδε τι to τόδε τι ἐνεργεία, ib. 1042a27; opp. ἐντελέχεια, ib.1038b6: in later philosoph. writers, mostly opp. to the intelligent and formative principle (νοῦς), Procl. Inst.72, etc.; “ὕ. τῶν ἀριθμῶν” Iamb.Comm.Math.4.
3. [select] matter for a poem or treatise, ὕ. τραγική, ποιητικαὶ ὗλαι, Plb.2.16.14, Longin. 13.4, cf. 43.1, Vett.Val.172.1, etc.; ἡ ὑποκειμένη ὕ. the subject-matter, Arist.EN1094b12, cf. Phld.Rh.2.124 S.
4. [select] ὕ. ἰατρική materia medica, Dsc.tit.; so ὕλη alone, materia medica, Id.1 Prooem., Gal. 17(2).181; ὗλαι τῆς τέχνης ibid., cf. 6.77, Sor.1.83,110, 2.15,28; “ἡ ὕ. τῶν ὁπλομαχικῶν ἐνεργειῶν” Gal.6.157.
b. [select] ἡ μέση ὕλη the middle range of diet, Sor.1.46, 2.15; “τροφιμωτέρα ὕλη” Id.1.95, cf. 36.
5. [select] pl., material resources, “βασιλικαὶ ὗλαι” Ph.1.640.
IV. [select] sediment, Ar.Fr.879, cf. Sch.Ar.Pl.1086, 1088 (hence ὑλίζω (ἀφ-, δι-)“, ὑλώδης” 11); mud, slime, UPZ70.9 (ii B. C.); ὕλῃ, ὕλει, and ἰλυῖ are cj. for ὕδει in Thgn.961.
2. [select] matter excreted from the human body, Sor.1.22,23,25, al.; “ἡ ὕ. τῶν ἐμπυημάτων” Gal.18(2).256; phlegm, catarrh, PMed. in Arch.Pap.4.270 (iii A. D.).