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[Meaning] one that is not to be travelled through, unconquerable, unapproachable.[1] Ajax says: "and walking I will go where the land is untrodden, I will bury this sword, my most hated of weapons, and bury it where no one might see; but let night and Hades keep it below."[2] I will find, he is saying, a place where no one will go. Ajax is saying, where no-one would follow him.[3]
Also [sc. attested is] a)stibh= ["untrodden"], [meaning] unwalked by foot.[4]
Also [sc. attested is] a)stibh/s ["untrodden"], [meaning] impassable or safe.
Also [sc. attested is] eu)stibh/s ["giving good footing"], [meaning] that which has good passage.
"Rock that gives good footing to the fisher gulls." In the Epigrams.[5]
Also [sc. attested is] a)stei/bhtos,[7] a track not to be travelled through.[6]

*)astibe\s a)/lsos: a)dio/deuton, a)katama/xhton, a)prospe/laston. *ai)/as fhsi/: molw/n te xw=ron e)/nq' a)\n a)stibh= ki/xw, kru/yw to/d' e)/gxos tou)mo\n e)/xqiston belw=n, gai/as o)ru/cas e)/nqa mh/ tis o)/yetai: a)ll' au)to\ nu\c a(/|dhs te sw|zo/ntwn ka/tw. eu(rh/sw, fhsi\, to/pon, ou(= ou)dei\s e)pibh/setai. o( *ai)/as fhsi\n, i(/na mh/ tis au)tw=| a)kolouqh/sh|. kai\ *)astibh=, a)/baton posi/. kai\ *)astibh/s, o( a)/batos h)\ a)sfalh/s. kai\ *eu)stibh/s, o( kalh\n ba/sin e)/xwn. eu)stibe\s ai)qui/ais i)xqubo/loisi le/pas. e)n *)epigra/mmasi. kai\ *)astei/bhtos, a)dio/deutos tri/bos.

The headword phrase comes from Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 126 (web address 1 below). See further, notes 1 and 4.
[1] The second and third glosses here are from the scholia to Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 127.
[2] Sophocles, Ajax 657-660 (web address 2).
[3] From the scholia to the above.
[4] From the scholia to Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 126.
[5] Greek Anthology 6.23.2 (author unknown), a fisherman's dedication to Hermes; cf. beta 365, lambda 284, and Page (323-324).
[6] See LSJ s.v. astibetos.

David Whitehead (added keywords; cosmetics) on 6 January 2002@11:56:00.
David Whitehead (tweaks and cosmetics) on 25 April 2012@08:56:48.
David Whitehead on 7 July 2015@03:09:58.
David Whitehead on 2 September 2015@03:27:37.
Catharine Roth (tweaked links) on 5 December 2015@23:16:13.
Catharine Roth (tweaked note) on 19 April 2020@01:27:10.
Ronald Allen (expanded n.5, added bibliography, added keywords) on 4 July 2023@12:11:28.

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