1. σπάῳ · spaōi — Beekes
The corpus record
σπάω
spao
to draw
Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.
Where it lives
- Judices (cod. Al.) 9 · 6.15/10k
- De juventute et senectute, De vita et morte 1 · 5.44/10k
- Paralipomenon I 6 · 4.51/10k
- On the Art of Horsemanship 2 · 2.88/10k
- Hecuba 2 · 2.79/10k
- Trachiniae 2 · 2.75/10k
- Antigone 2 · 2.73/10k
- Fragments 1 · 2.51/10k
- Iphigenia in Tauris 2 · 2.41/10k
- Iphigenia in Aulis 2 · 2.24/10k
- On the Sacred Disease 1 · 2.18/10k
- Meditations 6 · 2.06/10k
Densest 12 of 45 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.
What it meant
2. σπάω · spaō — Chantraine
3. σπάω · spaō — Frisk
4. σπάω · spaō — LSJ
draw, hence,
of a sword, draw, mostly in Med., φάσγανά τε σπάσσασθε Od. 22.74; σπασσάμενος . . ἄορ παχέος παρὰ μηροῦ Il. 16.473; ἐκ δʼ ἄρα σύριγγος . . ἐσπάσατʼ ἔγχος 19.387; σπασαμένων τὰς μαχαίρας PTeb. 48.19 (ii B.C.), cf. 138 (ii B.C.): in Act., ξίφος σπάσαντα E. Or. 1194; φάσγανον σπάσας χερί Id. IT 322:—Pass., ἐσπασμένοι τὰ ξίφη having their swords drawn, X. An. 7.4.16; ἐσπασμένον ὃν εἶχεν ἀκινάκην Id. Cyr. 7.5.29; ἐσπασμένοις τοῖς ξίφεσι D.S. 4.52.
of other things, ἐκ χειρὸς χεῖρα σπάσατο Od. 2.321; σπασάμην ῥῶπάς τε λύγους τε 10.166; ὡς ἕκαστος ἔσπασεν τύχης πάλον drew the lot (out of the helmet), A. Ag. 333:—Pass., σπασθέντος (sc. ἔγχεος ἔξω χροός) Il. 11.458.
abs., σπᾶτʼ ἀνδρείως pull, hoist away, like men, Ar. Pax 498.
of violent actions, pluck off or out, κόμην S. OT 1243; λάχνην Id. Tr. 690; cf. σπαστέος.
tear, rend, esp. of ravenous animals, S. Ant. 258, 1003; λαιμοτόμους κεφαλάς dub. l. in E. IA 776 (lyr.); σ. τοῖς ὄνυξιν [τοὺς νεοττούς], of the eagle, Arist. HA 619b31:—Pass., φλέβιον, σάρκα σπασθῆναι, Hp. Morb. 1.17.
wrench, sprain, τὸ σκέλος ἔσπασε Plu. Arat. 33:—Pass., τὸν μηρὸν σπασθῆναι Hdt. 6.134; τοὺς πόδας E. Cyc. 639.
snatch, tear or drag away, πῶλον παρὰ συννόμων Pl. Lg. 666e; ὑπὸ πτερῶν E. Andr. 441:—Pass., ἔλαφον ἀπʼ ἐμῶν γονάτων σπασθεῖσαν Id. Hec. 92 (lyr.); ἐκ βραχίονος σπασθείς ib. 408.
metaph., carry away, draw aside, ἀλλά σʼ ἔσπασεν πειθώ S. El. 561; τὰ πάθη οἷον νεῦρα σ. ἡμᾶς Pl. Lg. 644e.
Medic., cause convulsion or spasm, v.l. in Hp. Art. 67:—Pass., to be convulsed, σπασθεὶς ἀποθνῄσκει Id. Aph. 5.5, Thphr. HP 4.4.13, etc.; ἐσπᾶτο γὰρ πέδονδε καὶ μετάρσιος, of Heracles in his agony, S. Tr. 786, cf. σπάσμα, σπασμός: metaph., to be harassed, anxious, Arr. Epict. 1.1.16.
draw in, suck in, θρόμβον αἵματος A. Ch. 533; ἔσπασεν ἄμυστιν ἑλκύσας E. Cyc. 417; συνεκθανεῖν σπῶντα χρὴ τῷ πώματι ib. 571; μεστὴν ἀκράτου Θηρίκλειον ἔσπασεν Alex. 5, cf. 285; opp. λάπτω, κάπτω, Plu. QConv. 2.699d, cf. σπάσις II; σ. τὸν μαστόν suck it, Arist. HA 587a33; σ. ἀμυστί Ael. NA 6.51; and in Med., ταυρείου σπασάμενος αἵματος Apollod. 1.9.27:—Pass., of the female, to be sucked, Arist. HA 576b11 (τὸ ἄγαν σπᾶσθαι prob. l.); cf. ἕλκω A. II.4.
σ. τὸ πνεῦμα draw breath, Id. Resp. 473a2; τὸν ἀέρα τὸν κοινόν Men. 531.7; absorb, ἕκαστον τῶν τοῦ σώματος τὸ αὑτῷ οἰκεῖον ἐσπακέναι Arist. Pr. 930a21.
metaph., derive, τροφήν, of winds, Hp. Vict. 2.38; πειθώ τε καὶ εἵμερον ἔσπασε ἐκ . . drew, derived . ., IG 14.889 (Sinuessa); σ. ἔρωτα enjoy it, Opp. H. 4.270; ὀλίγον ὕπνου σ. snatch a little sleep, Hld. 5.1:—Med., Id. 2.16.
draw tight, pull the reins, χαλινῷ τὸ στόμα τοῦ ἵππου X. Eq. 9.7.1, cf. 9.5; but τὸν χαλινὸν ἐκ τῶν ὀδόντων ἵππου Pl. Phdr. 254e.
of angling, ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν Ar. Th. 928: hence prov., οὐκ ἔσπασεν ταύτῃ γε ‘he took nothing by his motion’, Id. V. 175.
derive, ἐπωνυμίαν παρά τινων Philostr. VS 2.10.6, cf. Ael. NA 14.15 (Med.); ἀρχὴν λυρικῆς καὶ πέρας σ. AP 9.184 (s. v.l.); ῥίζαν σ. τινός derive oneʼs origin from . ., Lyc. 623; σ. τὴν κλῆσιν ἀπό τινος S.E. M. 1.46; ἔννοιαν θεοῦ ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους φαντασιῶν Epicur. Fr. 353.
In the wild
- ἔσπασεν · espasen Aeschylus, Agamemnon 330–333
- σπάσαι · spasai Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 533
- σπάσονται · spasontai Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 1041
- ἐσπᾶτο · espato Aristophanes, Frogs 564
- σπᾶτʼ · spatʼ Aristophanes, Peace 2 (DIORISIS sentence 383)
- ἔσπασεν · espasen Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae (DIORISIS sentence 737)
6 of 103 attestations shown. Ask for more.
Where it came from
- Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. σπάω (scan pp. 1429-1430; entry #5709).
- Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. σπάω (scan p. 1054; entry #7503).
- Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. σπάω (scan pp. 1731-1732; entry #5304).
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