The corpus record

ἄχθος

achthos · τό

burden, load

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

Agamemnon 3 · 3.7/10k
Electra 3 · 3.46/10k
Shield of Heracles 1 · 3.09/10k
Suppliant Maidens 1 · 2.07/10k
Critias 1 · 2.02/10k
Seven Against Thebes 1 · 1.99/10k
Libation Bearers 1 · 1.86/10k
Rhesus 1 · 1.86/10k
Works and Days 1 · 1.73/10k
Prometheus Bound 1 · 1.7/10k
Suppliants 1 · 1.42/10k
Antigone 1 · 1.36/10k

Densest 12 of 27 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

burden, load, cumberers, plague, pests, burden

burden, load, Il. 12.452, Hes. Op. 692, Tyrt. 6, etc.; ἄχθεα δυνατώτεραι φέρειν, of camels, Hdt. 3.102, cf. 1.80, Ar. Ra. 9, Th. 4.115; ἄ. οὐκ εὐάγκαλον A. Pr. 352; ἄ. ἀρούρης cumberers of the ground, Il. 18.104, Od. 20.379, etc.; περισσὸν ἄ. γυναικῶν plague of women, S. El. 1241 (lyr.); γῆς ἄλλως ἄχθη Pl. Tht. 176d; ἄ. μυρία γαίης pests, Nic. Th. 9: but φίλτατον ἄχθος, of a corpse, E. Rh. 379 (lyr.): metaph., δίδυμον ἄ. double burden of praise, Pi. N. 6.57.

II load of grief, sorrow

load of grief, χάρμα καὶ ἄ. Hes. Sc. 400; ἀπὸ φροντίδος ἄ. . . βαλεῖν A. Ag. 166; λύπης ἄ. S. El. 120 (lyr.), cf. Ant. 1172; φέρειν ἄχθη κακῶν E. IT 710; ἄ. φέρειν bring or cause sorrow, X. Ep. 1.

In the wild

ἄχθος · achthos Aeschylus, Agamemnon 163–166
ἄχθος · achthos Aeschylus, Agamemnon 626–627
ἄχθος · achthos Aeschylus, Agamemnon 834–837
ἄχθος · achthos Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 841–843
ἄχθος · achthos Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 349–352
ἄχθεα · achthea Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 973–975

6 of 39 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

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