The corpus record

χηρωσταί

cherostai · οἱ

far-off kinsmen

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

Where it lives

Theogony 1 · 1.45/10k
Iliad 1 · 0.09/10k

What it meant — LSJ

far-off kinsmen, one who acts as a guardian to widows and orphans

far-off kinsmen, who seize and divide among themselves the property of one who dies without heirs (χῆρος), χηρωσταὶ δὲ διὰ κτῆσιν δατέοντο Il. 5.158, cf. Hes. Th. 607 (v. Sch. ad loc.), Q.S. 8.299, Hsch., = οἱ μακρόθεν (or πόρρωθεν) συγγενεῖς (also expld. = ὀρφανιστής, one who acts as a guardian to widows and orphans, Eust. 533.30). (Compd. of χηρο- ‘abandoned’ and -ωστᾱ- from -ω-δ-τᾱ-, nomen agentis of ω-δ-, cf. Skt. á̄ dā- ‘receiveʼ; and Lat. hērēd- (ĝhēro + ē-d-).)

In the wild

χηρωσταί · chērōstai Theogony 605–606
χηρωσταὶ · chērōstai Iliad 5.158

Where it came from

Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. χηρωσταί (scan pp. 1682-1683; entry #6564).
Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. χηρωσταί (scan p. 1278; entry #8730).

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