A.“ἐφέψω” Il.21.588: aor. 2 “ἐπέσπον” A.Pers.552 (lyr.) (the only place in Trag.), inf. ἐπισπεῖν, part. ἐπισπών (v. infr. 111):—ply, wield, “ἔγχος” Pi.P.6.33.
2. c. dat. pers., apply, direct towards or against, “Πατρόκλῳ ἔφεπε κρατερώνυχας ἵππους” Il.16.732, cf. 724.
3. ply, belabour, lay on to, [“ἵππους] μάστιγι” 24.326; of warriors, belabour, harass the enemy, 11.177, 22.188; “σφεδανὸν ἔφεπ᾽ ἔγχεϊ” 21.542: c. acc. loci, “ὣς ἔφεπε κλονέων πεδίον” 11.496; of hunters, beat, drive, “κορυφὰς ὀρέων” Od.9.121 (but ἄγρην ἐφέπεσκον, . . ἰχθῦς ὄρνιθάς τε plied (ἐνήργουν Sch.) the chase, (hunting) fish and birds, 12.330): abs. metaph., punish, “παραιβασίας” Hes. Th.220.
II. ply or practise a pursuit, “ἄλλοι δ᾽ ἐπὶ ἔργον ἕποιεν” Od.14.195; “πόλεμον ἐ.” Simon.142.2 (codd. AP); “τερπωλὰς καὶ θαλίας” Archil. 13; “συμποσίας” Pi.P.4.294; “ὅσια καὶ νόμιμα” Ar. Th.675; πολλὰ ἐπέπουσι (v.l. ἐφ-) Hdt.7.8. ά; τὰν Φιλοκτήταο δίκαν ἐ. practising his way, Pi.P.1.50.
2. govern, administer, “Θήβας” A.Pers.38 (anap.), cf. 552; πόλιας θνητῶν v.l. in Simon.142.2; “Ζεὺς ὥρην ἐφέπων” Man.3.32; face (ply, cope with) a task, “οὐδέ κ᾽ Ἀθήνη τοσσῆσδ᾽ ὑσμίνης ἐφέποι στόμα” Il.20.359; τοσσούσδ᾽ ἀνθρώπους ἐφέπειν καὶ πᾶσι μάχεσθαι ib.357; μαιμώων ἔφεπ᾽ ἔγχεϊ faced (plied) them with his spear, 15.742.
3. c. acc. loci, haunt, frequent, of gods, nymphs, etc., “γαῖαν καὶ βένθεα λίμνης” Hes. Th.366, cf. Pi.P.1.30, Pae.Delph.7; of birds, A.R.2.384; “γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν” Luc. Trag.267; visit, “σῴζων ἐφέποις ἡμᾶς” Aristonous 1.47.
III. come upon, encounter, face, πότμον ἐπίσπῃς, etc. Il.6.412, etc.; “θάνατον καὶ πότμον ἐ.” Od.24.31; “θανεῖν καὶ πότμον ἐ.” Il.7.52, Od.4.562, etc.; “κακὸν οἶτον ἐ.” 3.134; “ὀλέθριον ἦμαρ ἐ.” Il.19.294; “ἐ. αἴσιμον ἦμαρ” 21.100; reversely, “αἰὼν ἔφεπε μόρσιμος” Pi.O.2.10.—The Act. is rare in Att. (v. supr.).
B. Med., ἐφέπομαι (in later Poets “ἐφέσπομαι” Maiist. 46, Naumach. ap.Stob.4.23.7, Nonn.D.16.401, “ἐπιέσπομαι” Opp.C.3.272): impf. ἐφειπόμην: fut. “ἐφέψομαι” S.Ant.636, “ἐπιέψομαι” A.R.2.18: aor. 2 ἐφεσπόμην (but 3pl. ἐπέσποντ(ο) Pi.P.4.133), imper. ἐπίσπου, inf. ἐπισπέσθαι: also aor. 1 imper. ἐφεψάσθω (v.l. ἐφαψ-) Theoc.9.2:—follow, pursue, once in Hom. in hostile sense, “ληϊστῆρσιν ἐπισπόμενος Ταφίοισιν” Od.16.426, cf. Hdt.1.103, 3.54, Th.4.96, etc.
II. follow, attend, “λαῶν ἔθνος ἐπισπόμενον ἑοῖ αὐτῷ” Il.13.495; ἐπισπέσθαι ποσίν attend on foot, i. e. keep up with, 14.521, cf. Hdt.3.14, 31, al.; εἰ μή οἱ τύχη ἐπίσποιτο if fortune attend him not, Id.1.32, etc.; “ᾧ χάρις ἐφέσπετο” Ar.V.1278: abs., opp. ἡγεῖσθαι, Th.3.45.
2. obey, attend to, “ἐπισπόμενοι θεοῦ ὀμφῇ” Od.3.215; ἐπισπόμενοι μένεϊ σφῷ giving the reins to their passion, 14.262; “τῇ γνώμῃ τινὸς ἐ.” Hdt.7.10.“γ́; βουλῇ . . ἐπισπέσθαι πατρός” A.Eu.620; [γνώμαις], βουλεύμασι, τῷ δικαίῳ, S.Ant. 636, El.967, 1037: abs., ὁ ἐπισπόμενος, opp. ὁ πείσας, Th.3.43; also, agree, approve, “εἰ δὲ . . ἐπὶ δ᾽ ἕσπωνται θεοὶ ἄλλοι” Od.12.349, cf. Pi.P. 4.133.