A.hold out either in the way of promise or threat, and therefore:
I. sts. in good sense, promise, “οὐδ᾽ ἠπείλησεν ἄνακτι . . ῥέξειν κλειτὴν ἑκατόμβην” Il.23.863, cf. 872; also, boast or brag, “ὥς ποτ᾽ ἀπειλήσει 8.150; ἦ μὲν ἀπείλησας βητάρμονας εἶναι ἀρίστους” Od.8.383, cf. Jul.Or.2.57a.
II. commonly in bad sense, threaten, in Hom. either abs., as Il.2.665, Od.21.368: or (more freq.) c. dat. pers., ib.20.272, etc.: c.acc. cogn., αἶψα δ᾽ ἀναστὰς ἠπείλησεν μῦθον spake a threatening speech, Il.1.388; ἀπειλὰς ἀ., v. ἀπειλή; δείν᾽ ἀπειλήσων ἔπη E. Supp.542: freq. with neut. Pron. or Adj., “ἀ. τόγε θυμῷ” Il.15.212; ταῦτα, πολλὰ ἀ., Hdt.7.18, 1.111, Th.8.33, etc.; “πύργοις ἀ. δεινά” A. Th.426; “τοῦτ᾽ ἀπειλήσας ἔχεις” S.OC817.
2. with acc. of the thing threatened, “θάνατον ἀ. ὃς ἂν . .” Hdt.4.81; “ξίφος” Plu.Pomp.47; “ζημίας ἀ. κατά τινος” Id.Cam.39; ἠπείλησαν τοὺς ἄρχοντας threatened them with the prefects, Lib.Or.47.7.
3. dependent clauses were added in fut. inf., “γέρας . . ἀφαιρήσεσθαι ἀπειλεῖς” Il.1.161, cf. 15.179, Od.11.313; “σφέας . . ἀπείλεε ἐκτρίψειν” Hdt.6.37; “ἀ. δράσειν τι” E.Med. 287; “ἀ. ἀποκτενεῖν” Lys.3.28: rarely in pres. inf., “ἠπ. . . ἑλκέμεν” Il. 9.682: after Hom. in aor. inf., X.Mem.3.5.4, HG5.4.7, Theoc.24.16.
III. Pass., ἀπειλοῦμαι, of persons, to be terrified by threats, Id.Smp.4.31.
IV. later in Med., with aor. 1 “-ησάμην” App.BC3.29, Polyaen.7.35.2: c. inf., forbid with threats, “ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν” Act.Ap.4.17.
