κατάρχ-ω (katarcho)

Where it lives

Nahum 1 · 10.83/10k
Joel 1 · 6.49/10k
Zacharias 2 · 4.15/10k
Iphigenia in Tauris 3 · 3.62/10k
Phoenissae 3 · 3.11/10k
Machabaeorum II 3 · 2.6/10k
Heracles 2 · 2.56/10k
Constitution of the Lacedaemonians 1 · 2.06/10k
Persians 1 · 1.96/10k
De Mundo 1 · 1.58/10k
Suppliants 1 · 1.42/10k
Hecuba 1 · 1.4/10k

Densest 12 of 31 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

κατάρχ-ω · katarch-ō — LSJ

make beginning of, lead, source, begin, begin

make beginning of a thing, c. gen., τίνες κατῆρξαν . . μάχης; A. Pers. 351; ὁδοῦ κατάρχειν lead the way, S. OC 1019; δεινοῦ λόγου Id. Tr. 1135; λόγων χρησίμων Ar. Lys. 638, cf. Pl. Prt. 351e, etc.; τραυμάτων Ascl. Tact. 7.1; τὸ κατάρχον αἰσθήσεως, τῆς κινήσεως, the source of perception, of motion, Gal. 5.588: rarely c. acc., begin a thing, θαυμαστόν τινα λόγον Pl. Euthd. 283b: c. part., begin doing, X. Cyr. 1.4.4, 4.5.58: abs., Pl. Smp. 177e, Arist. Mu. 399a15.

2 will lead

θανόντα δεσπόταν γόοις κατάρξω I will lead the dirge over . . , E. Andr. 1199 (lyr., with reference to the religious sense, infr. II.2).

II begin, is beginning

Med., begin, like Act., c. gen., ἐχθρᾶς ἡμέρας κατάρχεται Id. Ph. 540; τοῖς κατηργμένοις τῆς πορείας Pl. Phdr. 256d; κ. τῆς προσβολῆς Plb. 2.67.1; τοῦ λόγου Plu. Symp. 2.151e: c. acc., κ. νόμον, στεναγμόν, E. Hec. 685 (s. v. l.), Or. 960 (both lyr.): abs., κατάρχεται μέλος is beginning, Id. HF 750 (lyr.), cf. 891 (lyr.); τὸ -άρξασθαι Ael. Tact. 17.

2 begin the sacrificial ceremonies, began [the sacrifice, with, begin the rite, make a beginning of, consecrate, for sacrifice

in religious sense, begin the sacrificial ceremonies, once in Hom., Νέστωρ χέρνιβά τʼ οὐλοχύτας τε κατήρχετο Nestor began [the sacrifice ] with the washing of hands and sprinkling the barley on the victimʼs head, Od. 3.445: abs., Hdt. 4.60, 103, And. 1.126; κατάρχομαι μέν, σφάγια δʼ ἄλλοισιν μέλει I begin the rite, but leave the slaughter of the victim to others, E. IT 40; ἐπὶ τῶν θυσιῶν κριθαῖς κ. D.H. 2.25: c. gen., κατάρχεσθαι τοῦ τράγου make a beginning of the victim, i.e. consecrate him for

b sacrifice, slay, hath been devoted

sacrifice, slay, ξίφει, φασγάνῳ κ., E. Alc. 74, El. 1222 (lyr.):— Pass., ᾗ (sc. τῇ θεᾷ) σὸν κατῆρκται σῶμα hath been devoted, Id. Heracl. 601.

III rule, govern

Act., rule, govern, c. gen., Alciphr. 3.44 (s.v.l.).

IV will chastise

κατάρξω ὑμᾶς ἐν σκορπίοις will chastise you . . , LXX 3 Ki. 12.24r.

In the wild

κατῆρξαν · katērxan Aeschylus, Persians 351–352
κατάρξαντος · katarxantos Aristotle, De Mundo (DIORISIS sentence 149)
κατάρχεται · katarchetai Aristotle, Eudemian Ethics 7
καταρχόμεθα · katarchometha Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 10.1 (DIORISIS sentence 9261)
καταρχόμενοι · katarchomenoi Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 10.1 (DIORISIS sentence 8930)
κατάρξαντα · katarxanta Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 2.17 (DIORISIS sentence 2234)

6 of 54 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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