δια-σπάω (diaspao)

Where it lives

On the Peace 1 · 6.89/10k
Busiris 1 · 3.64/10k
First Philippic 1 · 3.05/10k
Judices (cod. Al.) 4 · 2.73/10k
Osee 1 · 2.65/10k
On the Chersonese 1 · 2.37/10k
Fourth Philippic 1 · 2.26/10k
Philebus 3 · 1.7/10k
De Respiratione 1 · 1.65/10k
Against Aristogeiton 1 1 · 1.49/10k
On the Art of Horsemanship 1 · 1.44/10k
Anabasis 8 · 1.42/10k

Densest 12 of 38 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

δια-σπάω · dia-spaō — LSJ

tear asunder, to break through, tear down, break up, to be torn away

tear asunder, τοὺς ἄνδρας κρεοργηδὸν δ. Hdt. 3.13, cf. E. and Ar. ll. cc., etc.; ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα δ. X. Cyr. 6.1.45; δ. τὸ σταύρωμα to break through or tear down the palisade, Id. HG 4.4.10; δ. τὴν γέφυραν, τὸ ἔδαφος, Plb. 6.55.1, Plu. Cam. 5; break up, SIG 364.10 (Ephesus, iii B. C.): metaph., διασπᾶν τὴν σύμπνοιαν τοῦ παντός Iamb. Protr. 21.λʹ:—Pass., διέσπασται μελέων φύσις Emp. 63; τὸ Ἀττικὸν [ἔθνος] . . διεσπασμένον ὑπὸ Πεισιστράτου Hdt. 1.59; μόνον οὐ διεσπάσθην D. 5.5; δ. ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων t

2 separate, break, up, scattered and in disorder, to be widely scattered

in military sense, separate part of an army from the rest, X. Cyr. 5.4.19; of army and fleet, Hdt. 7.236; δ. τὰς φάλαγγας break them up, Arist. Pol. 1303b13: —Pass., στράτευμα διεσπασμένον an army scattered and in disorder, Th. 6.98, cf. 7.44; of a fleet, Id. 8.104; τῷ διεσπάσθαι τὰς δυνάμεις to be widely scattered, X. An. 1.5.9.

3 pull different ways, distract, has broken the continuity of, distracted

metaph., pull different ways, πόλεις distract states, Pl. Lg. 875a; τὰς πολιτείας D. 4.48; τοὺς νόμους X. Cyr. 8.5.25; διέσπακε τὴν ἱστορίαν has broken the continuity of the narrative, Sch. Th. l.c.:—Pass., διασπώμενος distracted, πρὸς τοσαύτας ὑπηρεσίας Luc. DDeor. 4[24].1; ὑπὸ τῶν λόγων Id. Icar. 23.

In the wild

διασπάσαι · diaspasai Aristophanes, Birds (DIORISIS sentence 332)
διασπάσεσθέ · diaspasesthe Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae 2 (DIORISIS sentence 892)
διασπάσονται · diaspasontai Aristophanes, Frogs 475–478
Διεσπάσθη · Diespasthē Aristotle, Ars Poetica 4
διασπώμενον · diaspōmenon Aristotle, De Respiratione (DIORISIS sentence 81)
διέσπασται · diespastai Aristotle, Eudemian Ethics 7

6 of 82 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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