LOGOI

The corpus record

κείρω

keiro

to mow off, cut down, ravage

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

Where it lives

Densest 12 of 36 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. κείρω · keirō — Beekes

κείρω [v.] “to cut (off), shave’, especially of hair; ‘to mow off, cut down, ravage’ (II.). 4 IE *(s)ker- ‘cut’> VAR Aor. κεῖραι, epic also képoat, pass. καρῆναι (καῤθέντες with v.L κερθέντες Pi. P. 4, 82), fut. kepéw, κερῶ, perf. pass. κέκαρμαι, new act. κέκαρκα (Hell.). *COMP Often with prefix, eg. dno-, dia-, mept-. Compound ἀ-κερσε-κόμης ‘with uncut hair’ (Υ 39), also ἀ-κειρε-κόμᾶς, -ης (Pi.); on the form … — [Beekes, s.v. κείρω, p. 712]

2. κείρω · keirō — Chantraine

κείρω : aor. ἔχειρα et Éxepox (Hom., cf. Chantraine. Gr, Hom. 1,173), pass. ἐκάρην (mais part. καρθέντες avec la var. κερθέντες Pi., P. 4,82), 1. κερέω, wepé, parf. passif χκέκαρμαι (Hdt., ion.-att.), d'où tardivement l'actif κέκαρκα (Luc., pap.) : «couper, tondre » en parlant des cheveux, «couper s (des arbres, etc.), «ravagers (un pays, etc.) « détruire » en général {Horn., ion.-att., etc.). Emploi avec préverbes … — [Chantraine, s.v. κείρω, p. 524]

3. κείρω · keirō — Frisk

κείρω, Aor. κεῖραι, ep. usw. auch κέρσαι, Pass. καρῆναι (καρϑέντες mit v. 1. κερϑέντες Pi. P. 4, 82), Fut. κερέω, κερῶ, Perf. Pass. κέκαρμαι, dazu Akt. κέκαρκα (hell. u. spät), oft mit Präfix, z.B. ano-, δια-, περι-, “abschneiden, scheren, bes. vom Haar, abästen, abmähen, abweiden, aufzehren’ (seit 1].). Komp. ἀ-κερσε- κόμης "mit ungeschnittenem Haar’ (ep. seit Y 39), auch ἀ-κειρε-κόμᾶς, -ns (Pi. u.a.); zur Form … — [Frisk, s.v. κείρω, p. 842]

4. κείρω · keirō — LSJ

cut short, shear, clip, crop, cut off oneʼs, have, cut off, cut off oneʼs hair, to have oneself, shorn, cropped, to be cut off

cut short, shear, clip, esp. of hair, σοί τε κόμην κερέειν (sc. Σπερχειῷ) Il. 23.146, cf. Paus. 1.37.3; κ. ἐν χρ [τὰς τρίχας] crop it close, Hdt. 4.175; ἀλόχων κείραντες ἔθειραν E. Hel. 1124 (lyr.): —more freq. in Med., cut off oneʼs hair or have it cut off, as a sign of mourning (cf. κουρά), τοῦτο . . γέρας οἶον ὀϊζυροῖσι βροτοῖσι, κείρασθαί τε κόμην βαλέειν τʼ ἀπὸ δάκρυ παρειῶν Od. 4.198, cf. 24.46, Il. 23.46; πολύν σοι βοστρύχων πλόκαμον κεροῦμαι E. Tr. 1183; κείρομαι κόμαν Id. Ph. 322 (lyr.)

2 crop, to have, shorn, shear

crop a person, σφέας αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἵππους, in sign of mourning, Hdt. 9.24; κεκάρθαι τὰς κεφαλάς to have their heads shorn, Id. 2.36; Θρᾳκιστὶ κέκαρμαι Theoc. 14.46; v. χρώς I.2, ἐγκυτί; shear sheep, μάχαιραι κουρίδες, αἷς κείρομεν τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς ποιμένας Cratin. 37; κείρεσθαί (tonderi) μου τὰ πρόβατα, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀποξύρεσθαι (deglubi) βούλομαι Tiber. ap. D.C. 57.10 (cf. infr. 3); τὸ μὲν [καρῆναι] ἐπὶ προβάτων τιθέασι καὶ ἐπὶ ἀτίμου κουρᾶς (cf. Luc. Sol. 6), κείρασθαι δὲ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων Phryn. 2

3 fleece’, plunder

metaph., ‘fleece’, plunder, τὴν μάμμην Herod. 3.39.

II cut down, crop close, pluck

cut down, δοῦρʼ ἐλάτης κέρσαντες Il. 24.450; ὕλην S. Tr. 1196; crop close, opp. ἐπιτέμνειν, Thphr. CP 3.23.3; pluck, ἄνθη Philostr. VA 1.5: metaph., ἐκ λεχέων κ. μελιαδέα ποίαν Pi. P. 9.37; Ἄρης κέρσειεν ἄωτον A. Supp. 666 (lyr.).

2 ravage, by cutting down, destroy, clear, to be ravaged, having its, cut down, had her, shorn off, having had, swept clean

ravage a country, esp. by cutting down crops and fruit-trees, τὸ πεδίον Hdt. 5.63; τέμενος Id. 6.75, cf. OGI 765.10 (Priene); τὴν γῆν Hdt. 6.99, Th. 1.64; χώραν Aen.Tact. 15.9; destroy, πόλιν Call. Fr. 1.60 P.; also, clear, of pioneers, ὄρος Hdt. 7.131:—Pass., of a country, to be ravaged, καρῆναι Id. 4.127, cf. 8.65; κεκαρμένα κτήματα SIG 364.67 (Ephesus, iii B.C.):—Med., χθὼν πεύκας κειραμένη having its pine-trees cut down, AP 9.106 (Leon.); ἄρουραι λήϊα κειράμεναι Ps.-Phoc. 166: metaph., Σπάρτ

3 slaughtered, by hewing

ἔκειρε πολύκερων φόνον slaughtered many a horned beast by hewing, S. Aj. 55.

4 hew, carve

hew, carve, ἐπίβασιν Inscr.Cypr. 99 H.

5 cut through transversely

cut through transversely, opp. σχίζειν (slit longitudinally), φλέβα Antyll. ap. Orib. 7.11.3.

III destroy, consume

generally, destroy, consume:

1 tear, eat greedily

tear, eat greedily, of beasts, κείρει τʼ εἰσελθὼν βαθὺ λήϊον [ὄνος] Il. 11.560; of fish, δημὸν . . ἐπινεφρίδιον κείροντες 21.204; of vultures, ἧπαρ ἔκειρον Od. 11.578, cf. Luc. DDeor. 5[1].1, DMort. 24[30].1.

2 waste, devour

metaph., waste, devour, ἐκείρετε πολλὰ καὶ ἐσθλὰ κτήματʼ ἐμά Od. 2.312; ἔκειρον κτήματʼ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ 22.369, etc.: abs., κείρετε (sc. βίοτον) 1.378.

In the wild

6 of 94 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. κείρω (scan p. 712; entry #3031). Root candidates: *kér-, *kert-.
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. κείρω (scan p. 524; entry #3783).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. κείρω (scan pp. 842-843; entry #2886). Root candidates: *ger-.

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