Ep. and Ion. Πληϊάδες (Aeol. Πληΐαδες Sappho 52), αἱ, Pleiads, Il. 18.486, Od. 5.272, Hes. Op. 383, 572. later in sg., of the whole constellation, esp. in notes of time, ὑπὸ Πληϊάδα at the setting of the P., Hp. Epid. 1.1; πρὸ Πλειάδος ἐπιτολῆς Arist. HA 553b31; ἀπὸ Πλειάδος ἀνατολῆς ib. 599b10; μετὰ Πλειάδα ib. 598b7; ἀπὸ Πλειάδος δύσεως ib. 599a28; περὶ Πλειάδος δύσιν ib. 542b22; πρὸς δύσιν Πλειάδος χειμερινήν ib. 566a21; Σείριος ἐγγὺς τῆς ἑπταπόρου Π. ᾄσσων E. IA 8 (anap.), cf. Ion 1152; in sg., also a name given to the seven best Alexandrian tragic poets, Heph. 9.4, Choerob. in Heph. p. 236 C., Suid. s.v. Ἀλέξανδρος Αἰτωλός, al. (Πλειάδες is perh. derived from πλέω, sail, because they rose at the beginning of the sailing-season (if so Πληϊάδες is metri gr. for Πλε(Ϝ)ϊάδες). — Poets (Hes. Frr. 177, 178, 179, Pi. N. 2.11, A. Fr. 312), using the lengthened form Πελειάδες (Alcm. 23.60, gen. sg. Πελειάδος E. Or. 1005 (lyr.)), represented them as doves flying before the hunter Orion.)