A.soft to the touch, tender: in Hom. mostly of the human body, “ἁπαλὴν ὑπὸ δειρήν” Il.3.371; “παρειάων ἁπαλάων” 18.123; “ἁπαλοῖο δι᾽ αὐχένος ἦλθεν ἀκωκή” 17.49; “ἁ. πόδες” 19.92; ἁ. τέ σφ᾽ ἦτορ ἀπηύρα, i. e. the life of young animals, 11.115; “ἵεσαν αὐδὴν ἐξ ἁπαλῶν στομάτων” Hes.Sc.279; “δέρα” Sapph.Supp.23.16; of persons, delicate, “παῖδες” Alc.Supp.14.5; “εὐμορφοτέρα . . τᾶς ἀπάλας Γυρίννως” Sapph.76; of flowers, ἄνθρυσκα Ead.Supp.25.13; rare in Trag., and only in lyr., “παρειά” A.Supp.70; “βρέφος ἁ.” E.IA1285; “βλέφαρον τέγγουσ᾽ ἁ.” El. 1339; more freq. in Com., “σισύμβριον” Cratin.239; “κρέα” Ar.Lys. 1063; “δάκτυλοι” Alex.48; “θερμολουσίαις ἁπαλοί” Com.Adesp.56; so in Prose, “ἁ. ψυχή” Pl.Phdr.245a; of raw fruit, Hdt.2.92, cf. X.Oec.19.18; of tender meat, Id.An.1.5.2; soft-boiled, of eggs, Cael.Aur. AP2.18; of a gentle fire, Philem.79.8, D.S.3.25.
II. metaph., soft, gentle, ἁπαλὸν γελάσαι laugh gently, Od.14.465; ἁ. δίαιτα soft, delicate, Pl.Phdr.239c; “τῶ αὐτῷ . . χρησώμεθα τεκμηρίῳ περὶ Ἔρωτα ὅτι ἁπαλός” Id.Smp.195e (also in Sup.); ἁ. εἴσπλους λιμένος, opp. τραχύς, Cratin.357. Adv. ἁπαλῶς, ὀπτᾶν to roast moderately, Sotad. Com.1.16: Comp. “ἁπαλωτέρως, ἅπτεσθαι” Hp.Art.37.
2. in bad sense, soft, weak, ὡς ἁ. καὶ λευκὸς [οἶνος] Cratin.183; “λευκός, ἐξυρημένος, γυναικόφωνος, ἁ.” Ar.Th.192. [α^πα^λος; for καλάμῳ . . ὑπα_πάλῳ, in Theoc.28.4, is corrupt.]
