θηρ-άω (therao)

Where it lives

Bacchae 9 · 11.97/10k
Helen 6 · 6.13/10k
Iphigenia in Tauris 4 · 4.82/10k
Trojan Women 3 · 4.24/10k
Philoctetes 3 · 3.41/10k
Prometheus Bound 2 · 3.4/10k
On Hunting 3 · 3.3/10k
Cyropaedia 25 · 3.17/10k
Antigone 2 · 2.73/10k
Euthydemus 3 · 2.41/10k
Memorabilia 8 · 2.24/10k
Constitution of the Lacedaemonians 1 · 2.06/10k

Densest 12 of 38 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

hunt, chase, catch, catch, capture, captivate, seek to destroy

hunt, chase, λαγώς, σφῆκας, X. An. l.c., HG 4.2.12, etc.; καί μʼ οὓς ἐθήρων πρόσθε θηράσουσι νῦν S. Ph. 958; of fishermen, catch, Arist. Fr. 76: metaph., catch or capture, καί σʼ εἷλε θηρῶνθʼ ἡ τύχη S. OC 1026, cf. Ph. 1007, X. An. 5.1.9: captivate, Id. Mem. 2.6.28, 3.11.7; θ. πόλιν seek to destroy it, A. Pers. 233.

2 hunt after, pursue, eagerly, do I hit the quarry?, reach, attain to

metaph., hunt after a thing, pursue it eagerly, τυραννίδα S. OT 542; θηρᾶν οὐ πρέπει τἀμήχανα Id. Ant. 92; μυρίαι κόραι θηρῶσι λέκτρον τοὐμόν E. IA 960; ἥμαρτον ἢ θηρῶ τι; have I missed or do I hit the quarry? A. Ag. 1194; τί χρῆμα θηρῶν; E. Supp. 115; reach, attain to, τι Pi. I. 4(3).46 (s.v.l.).

3 seek, endeavour

c. inf., seek, endeavour to do, θηρᾷ γαμεῖν με E. Hel. 63; cf. II.3.

4

= ἐκπράσσω III, θηρήτω δὲ ἁ θοιναρμόστρια IG 5(1).1498 (Messenia, ii B.C.).

II hunt for, fish for, hunters

Med. like Act., hunt for, fish for, ἐγχέλεις Ar. Eq. 864: abs., οἱ θηρώμενοι hunters, X. Cyn. 11.2.

2 seek after, find, discover, expect to derive

more freq. metaph., seek after, ἐμέτοισι θηρώμενοι τὴν ὑγιείην Hdt. 2.77; μαστοῖς ἔλεον θ. E. Or. 568; τὴν τῆς σωφροσύνης δόξαν D. 61.21, etc.; θ. πυρὸς πηγήν find, discover it, A. Pr. 109; expect to derive, τι παρά τινων Phld. Rh. 1.263S.

3 seek, endeavour

c. inf., seek, endeavour, ὅς με θηρᾶται λαβεῖν E. Hel. 545; πεῖράν τινʼ ἐχθρῶν ἁρπάσαι θηρώμενον S. Aj. 2.

III to be hunted, pursued

Pass., to be hunted, pursued, πρὸς ἄτης θηραθεῖσαι A. Pr. 1072; ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν E. Ba. 732; Ἀλκιβιάδης διὰ κάλλος ὑπὸ γυναικῶν θηρώμενος X. Mem. 1.2.24.—Cf. θηρεύω.

In the wild

θηρῶ · thērō Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1194
θηρᾶσαι · thērasai Aeschylus, Persians 233
θηραθεῖσαι · thēratheisai Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 1071–1074
θηρῶμαι · thērōmai Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 109–111
θηρεῦσαι · thēreusai Aristotle, Analytica priora et posteriora AHys.Α (DIORISIS sentence 1727)
ἐθήρασε · ethērase Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 2.11 (DIORISIS sentence 1930)

6 of 111 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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