About Report a problem

Menu

ὀκνέω

ὀκνέω, to shrink

ὀκν-έω, Ep. ὀκνείω Il. 5.255: impf. ὤκνεον 20.155: fut. -ήσω Isoc. 6.72: aor. ὤκνησα D. 18.103, etc.: (ὄκνος):—
  • shrink from doing, scruple, hesitate to do a thing, c. inf., ὀκνείω ἵππων ἐπιβαινέμεν Il. 5.255; ἀρχέμεναι πολέμοιο ὤκνεον 20.155.—In Att. mostly with collat. sense of the feeling which causes the hesitation, and so,
      • 1 of shame or fear (in a moral sense), ὀκνῶ προδότης καλεῖσθαι I shrink from being called, fear to be called, S. Ph. 93, cf. Th. 5.61, Lys. Fr. 23; οἷα ἐγὼ ὀκνῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὀνομάσαι shrink from naming, hesitate to name, D. 2.19, cf. Pl. Grg. 462e; τοσαῦθʼ ὅσʼ ὀκνήσαιμʼ ἂν . . εἰπεῖν D. 18.103, cf. 24.7, etc.
      • 2 of pity, σὰς ὀκνῶ θρᾶξαι φρένας A. Pr. 628, cf. S. El. 1271.
      • 3 most commonly of cowardice or indolence, μεμηνότʼ ἄνδρα . . ὀκνεῖς ἰδεῖν Id. Aj. 81, cf. Th. 1.120, etc.—The Homeric constr. c. inf. continued most common (v. supr.): rarely c. acc., πῶς τὸ μητρὸς λέκτρον οὐκ ὀκνεῖν με δεῖ; S. OT 976; ὃν μήτʼ ὀκνεῖτε Id. OC 731, cf. X. Cyr. 2.2.21; ἂν ὀκνῇς τὸ μανθάνειν Philem. 213.1; also ὀ. περί τινος X. Cyr. 4.5.20; ὀ. μή . . Pl. Phdr. 257c, X. An. 2.3.9, D. 1.18.
    • II freq. also abs., shrink, hesitate, hang back, Hdt. 7.50, S. El. 22, 320, Antipho Soph. 55, Luc. Prom. 18, etc.; of soldiers, Arist. Pol. 1297b11.

Saved

Recent