ἐπιχειρ-έω (epicheireo)

Where it lives

Letter 6 5 · 56.31/10k
Letter 1 3 · 51.37/10k
Against Euthynus 4 · 36.7/10k
For The Soldier 3 · 34.6/10k
Crito 11 · 26.39/10k
Defense in the Matter of the Olive Stump 5 · 24.69/10k
Letter 3 1 · 23.81/10k
Against the Sophists 3 · 22.64/10k
Busiris 6 · 21.83/10k
To Philip 17 · 19.4/10k
Evagoras 8 · 17.4/10k
Against Nicomachus 3 · 15.96/10k

Densest 12 of 150 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

ἐπιχειρ-έω · epicheir-eō — LSJ

put oneʼs hand to

put oneʼs hand to, οἱ μὲν δείπνῳ ἐπεχείρεον Od. 24.386, cf. 395; πηδαλίοις Ar. Eq. 542.

2 put oneʼs hand to, set to work at, attempt, attempt

put oneʼs hand to a work, set to work at, attempt, τῇ διώρυχι Hdt. 2.158 ; δρησμῷ ἐ. attempt an escape, Id. 6.70 ; τῇ ὁδῷ Id. 7.43, cf. E. Ba. 819 ; τοῖσι βασιληΐοισι Hdt. 3.61 ; τυραννίδι Id. 5.46 ; ἔργῳ τοσούτῳ Id. 9.27 ; λόγοις, τέχνῃ, Pl. Phdr. 279a, Grg. 521d, etc.; τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις X. Mem. 2.3.5, cf. Isoc. 5.41, etc.

3 to be attempted, the thing attempted

less freq. c. acc., μεγάλα ἔργα Thgn. 75 ; δίκαιον πρᾶγμα Pl. Cri. 45c, Phlb. 57b:—Pass., to be attempted, Th. 4.55, 6.31, X. Cyr. 6.1.41, etc.; τὸ ἐπιχειρούμενον the thing attempted, Pl. Lg. 746b.

4 endeavour, attempt to

c. inf., endeavour, attempt to do, Hdt. 3.38, 65, 9.42, Ar. Ra. 81, Th. 2.40, etc.: c. fut. inf., J. BJ 6.7.3:—Pass., ἃ τὸ πρῶτον ἐπεχειρήθη πραχθῆναι Pl. Ep. 337d, cf. Id. Ti. 53a, al.

5 an operation was performed

ἐπεχειρήθη c. dat., an operation was performed, τῇσιν αἱμορροΐσι Hp. Epid. 5.20.

II make an attempt on, attack

make an attempt on, attack, τινι Hdt. 1.11, 26, 190, Th. 3.94, Ar. V. 1030, etc.; πρός τινα Th. 7.21 ; ἐπί τινα Pl. Mx. 241d (but ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος διαφθοράν with a view to.., Arist. Pol. 1315a24); εἰς τὰς σατραπείας D.S. 14.80: abs., Hdt. 5.72, 8.108, etc.; κτείνων ἢ ἐπιχειρῶν Lex ap. And. 1.98:—Pass., Th. 2.11.

b

sens. obsc., ἐ. μειρακίοις Jul. Mis. 359d.

III attempt to prove, argue dialectically

attempt to prove, argue dialectically, Pl. Tht. 205a, Hermog. Inv. 3.4; περί τινος Arist. Top. 101a30; ἔκ τινος from a topic, ib. 115a26 ; ἔς τι D.L. 4.28 ; ἐ. ὅτι.. Arist. Top. 128b26 : abs., Id. APr. 66a34 ; λογικώτερον ἔστιν ἐπιχειρεῖν ὧδε Id. Cael. 275b12.

In the wild

κἀπεχείρησεν · kapecheirēsen Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae (DIORISIS sentence 316)
ἐπιχειρήσειέ · epicheirēseie Aristophanes, Frogs 80–81
ἐπιχειρεῖν · epicheirein Aristophanes, Knights (DIORISIS sentence 425)
κἀπιχειρήσουςʼ · kapicheirēsousʼ Aristophanes, Lysistrata 671 (DIORISIS sentence 513)
ἐπεχείρει · epecheirei Aristophanes, Peace (DIORISIS sentence 538)
ἐπιχειρεῖν · epicheirein Aristophanes, Wasps (DIORISIS sentence 772)

6 of 774 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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