Dative plurals. The headword occurs in Homer, Iliad 11.438, but without the final nu, which was added at the end by Suda, probably extracted from some context where this form was followed by a word beginning with a vowel, such as Greek Anthology 15.40.42; otherwise always in neuter plural accusative ἔγκατα as at Odyssey 9.293.
Used in contexts of war and sacrifice.
After Homer the term appears in Cometas (AP), Lucian, and other later authors, according to LSJ.