καθαιρ-έω · kathair-eō — LSJ
take down, καθείλομεν ἱστία Od. 9.149; κὰδ δʼ ἀπὸ πασσαλόφι ζυγὸν ᾕρεον Il. 24.268; κ. ἄχθος take it down, i.e. off oneʼs shoulders, Ar. Ra. 10; κ. τὸ σημεῖον And. 1.36; κ. τῶν ἐκ τῆς στοᾶς ὅπλων some of them, X. HG 5.4.8; κ. εἰκόνα ἐξ ἀκροπόλεως Lycurg. 117; κ. τινά, from the cross, Plb. 1.86.6, Ph. 2.529:—Med., κατελέσθαι τὰ τόξα take down oneʼs bow, Hdt. 3.78; τοὺς ἱστούς Plb. 1.61.1.
put down, close the eyes of the dead, ὄσσε καθαιρήσουσι θανόντι περ Il. 11.453; ὀφθαλμοὺς καθελοῦσα Od. 24.296; χερσὶ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑλέειν 11.426.
of sorcerers, bring down from the sky, σελήνην Ar. Nu. 750, Pl. Grg. 513a.
κατά με πέδον γᾶς ἕλοι may earth swallow me! E. Supp. 829 (lyr.).
put down by force, destroy, ὅτε κέν μιν μοῖρʼ ὀλοὴ καθέλῃσι Od. 2.100, 19.145, cf. 3.238, etc.; μὴ καθέλοι μιν αἰών Pi. O. 9.60; φῶτʼ ἄδικον καθαιρεῖ A. Ag. 398 (lyr.); μοῖρα τὸν φύσαντα καθεῖλε S. Aj. 517, cf. E. El. 878 (lyr.), etc.; kill, slay, ταῦρον ib. 1143, cf. Stesich. 23, S. Tr. 1063, Fr. 205; ἐάν τις ἀποκτείνῃ . . ἐν ὁδῷ καθελών Lex ap. D. 23.53:—Pass., of criminals, to be executed, Plu. Them. 22.
put down, reduce, κ. Κῦρον καὶ τὴν Περσέων δύναμιν Hdt. 1.71, etc.; καθαιρεθῆναι, opp. ἀρθῆναι, D. 2.8; esp. depose, dethrone, Hdt. 1.124, etc.; κ. τὸ λῃστικὸν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης remove it utterly from . . , Th. 1.4, cf. POxy. 1408.23 (iii A.D.); κ. ὕβριν τινός Hdt. 9.27, LXX Za. 9.6; ὄλβον S. Fr. 646.4; ὑπερηφάνους Aristeas 263:—Pass., καθῃρημένος τὴν αἴσθησιν bereft of sense, Plu. Per. 38; καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος [Ἀρτέμιδος] Act.Ap. 19.27.
raze to the ground, demolish, πόλεις Th. 1.58, al., LXX Is. 14.17; τείχη Pl. Mx. 244c; τῶν τειχῶν a part of the walls, X. HG 4.4.13:—Pass., Th. 5.39, etc.; καθῃρέθη . . Οἰχαλία δορί S. Tr. 478.
cancel, rescind, τὸ Μεγαρέων ψήφισμα Th. 1.140, cf. 139, Plu. Per. 29; ἔργον κ. λόγῳ Philem. 140.
as law-term, condemn, ἡ καθαιροῦσα ψῆφος a verdict of guilty, Lys. 13.37: c. inf., ἐμὲ πάλος καθαιρεῖ . . λαβεῖν S. Ant. 275; so prob. κατά με . . Ἀΐδας ἕλοι πατρὶ ξυνθανεῖν Id. OC 1689 (lyr.), cf. E. Or. 862; simply, decide, ὅ τι ἂν αἱ πλείους ψῆφοι καθαιρῶσι D.H. 7.36, 39; in book-keeping, ἃν καθαιρῶσιν αἱ ψῆφοι whatever the counters (or accounts) prove, prob. in D. 18.227.
reduce, τῶν αὐξανομένων καὶ καθαιρουμένων γραμμῶν Arist. Ph. 237b9; τοῦ ἀποστήματος πεφυκότος ἐπὶ πολὺ καθαιρεῖν τὰ μεγέθη Phld. Sign. 9; of mild caustics, τὰ ὑπερσαρκέοντα καθαιρεῖ (prob. for καθαίρει) Hp. Ulc. 14, cf. Gal. 11.756; τὸ σῶμα κ. διαίταις Plu. Ant. 53: Rhet., minimize, Arist. Rh. 1376a34.
overpower, seize, κὰδ δέ μιν ὕπνος ᾕρει Od. 9.372; κ. τινά overtake, X. Cyr. 4.3.16; κ. τινὰ ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ catch in the act of folly, S. Ant. 383 (anap.): c. gen. partis, κ. τῶν ὤτων seize by . . , Theoc. 5.133:—Pass., κ. ὑπό τινος Hdt. 6.29.
fetch down as a reward or prize, καθαιρεῖν ἀγῶνας Plu. Pomp. 8: metaph., achieve, ἀγώνιον . . εὖχος ἔργῳ καθελών Pi. O. 10(11).63: fut. inf. καθαρεῖν, παστόν, μίτραν, Epigr. in Berl.Sitzb. 1894.908 (Asia Minor):—Med., φόνῳ καθαιρεῖσθʼ, οὐ λόγῳ, τὰ πράγματα E. Supp. 749:—Pass., Hdt. 7.50.
less freq. like the simple αἱρεῖν, take and carry off, Id. 6.41, cf. 5.36 (Pass.). Cf. καθαίρω.