wild animal, esp. of such as are hunted, μάλα γὰρ μέγα θηρίον ἦεν, of a stag, Od. 10.171, 180 (never in Il.); in Trag. only in Satyric drama, S. Ichn. 147 (dub. in A. Fr. 26): used in Prose for θήρ, X. An. 1.2.7, Isoc. 12.163, etc.; of the spiderʼs prey, Arist. HA 623a27; freq. of elephants, Plb. 11.1.12, al.: pl., beasts, opp. men, birds, and fishes, h.Ven. 4, Hdt. 3.108.
generally, animal, Id. 1.119; νενόμισται πῦρ θ. εἶναι ἔμψυχον Id. 3.16; of men, ἄνθρωπος πάντων θ. θεειδέστατον Antipho Soph. 48; εἰς θηρίου βίον ἀφικνεῖσθαι Pl. Phdr. 249b; also θ. ὕειον Id. R. 535e; of the dog, Theoc. 25.79; of fishes, Arist. HA 598b1; of eels, Antiph. 147.7; of leeches, IG 4.951.101 (Epid.); of other small creatures, Arist. HA 552b11, 625b32, Hp. ap. Gal. 19.103, Theoc. 19.6; οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν θ. τῶν ἰχθύων ἀτυχέστερον Antiph. 161.1; opp. plants, Pl. Smp. 188b: prov., ἢ θηρίον
beast, esp. as hostile and odious to man, θηρία τε καὶ βοτά carnivora and graminivora, Pl. Mx. 237d; monster, creature, of sharks, etc., Hdt. 6.44; of Typhon, etc., Pl. Phdr. 230a, R. 588e; of the Satyrs, S. Ichn. l.c.; ταυτὶ ποδαπὰ τὰ θ.; Ar. Nu. 184, cf. Av. 93.
poisonous animal, Dsc. 1.75, Act.Ap. 28.4.
Medic., = θηρίωμα, Hp. Coac. 459, Loc.Hom. 29, cf. Gal. l.c.
as a term of reproach, beast, creature, ὦ δειλότατον σὺ θηρίον Ar. Pl. 439, cf. Eq. 273; κόλακι, δεινῷ θηρίῳ Pl. Phdr. 240b; Κρῆτες, κακὰ θ. Epimenid. 1; δυσνουθέτητον θ., of poverty, Men. Georg. 78; ἡ μουσικὴ ἀεί τι καινὸν θηρίον τίκτει Anaxil. 27, cf. Eup. 132; τί δέ, εἰ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θηρίου ἠκούσατε; said by Aeschines of Demosthenes, Plin. Ep. 2.3.10; θ. συνεστιώμενον, of woman, Secund. Sent. 8.
Astron., the constellation Lupus, Eudox. ap. Hipparch. 1.2.20, Vett.Val. 6.13.