A.“χρείους” E.IA373 (troch., s. v.l.), “χρέους” Lys.17.5 codd., “χρέως” D.49.18 (and so Choerob.l.c.); no dat. occurs in Ep. forms:—pl., nom. and acc. “χρέα^” Hes.Op.647, “χρέα_” Ar.Nu.39, 443 (anap.), cf. Isoc.21.13, Pl.Lg. 684e, etc.; Arc. χρήατα (but Schwyzer [665] χρῆα τά) IG5(2).343.20, 27 (Orchom., iv B. C.); gen. “χρεῶν” Ar.Nu.13,117, Pl.R.566a, etc.; Ep. “χρειῶν” Hes.Op.404 (χρεέων cj. Rzach); Ep. dat. “χρέεσι” Man. 4.135; “χρήεσσι” A.R.3.1198: (χράομαι, χρή):
I. that which one needs must pay, obligation, debt, “Ἄρης . . χρέος καὶ δεσμὸν ἀλύξας” Od. 8.353, cf. 355; χρεῖος ἀποστήσασθαι, i.e. pay it in full, Il.13.746: esp. of the obligation to restore or pay for 'lified' cattle and plunder, so the heralds of the Pylians summoned to share in booty all οἷσι χρεῖος ὀφείλετ᾽: . . πολέσιν γὰρ Ἐπειοὶ χρεῖος ὄφειλον (where Sch. A, τὰ περιελασθέντα ἐκ τῆς Πύλου ὑπὸ τῶν Ἐπειῶν θρέμματα χρέως καλεῖ) Il. 11.686, cf. Od.3.367, 21.17; later simply, debt, “αὐτὸς ἔτεισε . . χρέος” Thgn.205; ἀρᾶς τίνει χ. pays the debt demanded by the curse, A.Ag. 457 (lyr.); μή τι πέρα χρέος . . πόλει προσάψῃς debt, i. e. guilt, S.OC235 (lyr.); χ. πράσσειν τινά exact payment of a debt from one, Pi.O.3.7; ἐμὸν καταίσχυνε χ. dishonoured my debt, i.e. dishonoured me for not paying my debt, for not keeping my promise, ib.10(11).8; τεὸν χ. the debt due to thee, Id.P.8.33: in Com. and Prose, χ. ἀποδιδόναι repay a debt, Hdt.2.136 (where also we have χ. διδόναι to give a loan, and χ. λαμβάνειν to receive a loan), cf. Ar.Nu.117, Pl.Plt.267a; ἔχω χ. ὡς εἰπεῖν οὐδὲν ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος I know of nothing that 1 owe to any man of Greece, Hdt.3.140; “χ. ἀπαιτεῖν” Plu.Oth.2; “τὰ ὑπάρχοντα τῶν χ. ἀνεῖσθαι” Id.Sol.15; τὸ ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν χρέως (sc. ὀφειλόμενον) D.33.24; ὢ καλὸν εἰς ἄλοχον θέμενος χ., like χάριν θέσθαι (v. “τίθημι” A. 11.7 fin.), Epigr. in Arch.Pap.1.220 (Ptolemaic); “ἔχειν εἴς τι χ.” Plu.Caes.48: pl., debts, Hes.Op.647, Ar.Nu.13, etc.; “χρειῶν λύσις” Hes.Op.404; “χρέα ἀπολαβεῖν” And.3.15; “χρέα ἐπὶ τόκοις ὀφειλόμενα” Is.11.42; τὴν οὐσίαν ἅπασαν χρέα κατέλιπον left all the property in outstanding debts, D.38.7; εἰσπραχθέντα χρέα ibid.; ἐκπληρῶσαι τὸ χ. ἅπαν pay it, Pl.Lg.958b; “τὸ χ. διαλυέτω” SIG306.46 (Tegea, iv B. C.), cf. Plu.Luc.20 (Pass.); “πρὸς τὰ χ. ἀπάγεσθαι” Plb.38.11.10, D.H.4.9:—cf. ἀποκοπή.
2. metaph., the debt that all must pay, fate, death, “οὐκ ἔστι τὸ χ. φυγεῖν” Alciphr.1.25; “τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπαιτηθεὶς χ.” LXXWi.15.8; also “ἂν μή τις θᾶττον ὡς χ. ἀποδιδῷ τὸ ζην” Pl.Ax.367b; ὁπότε εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἀναδράμῃ τὸ χ. (sc. ἡ ψυχή, regarded as lent to the body) Vett.Val.330.33.
II. in Poets, business, affair, matter, “ἑὸν αὐτοῦ χρεῖος ἐελδόμενος” Od.1.409, cf. 2.45; χρέος πᾶν ἐπικραίνεις, of Pelasgos, A.Supp.374 (lyr.); purpose, object, εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑμῖν μὴ τόδ᾽ ἐκπράξω χρέος ib.472, cf. S.OT 156 (lyr.); “πᾶν ὃ θέλεις . . χ. ἐκτετέλεσται” Theoc.25.53: c. gen., σὸν οὐκ ἔλασσον ἢ κείνης χ. your affair, E.Hec.892.
2. almost = χρῆμα, thing, τί χρέος; = τί χρῆμα; A.Ag.85 (anap.), E.Heracl.95 (lyr.), cf. S.OC251 (lyr.); “ἐφ᾽ ὅ τι χ. ἐμόλετε” E.Or.150 (lyr); “τί χ. ἔβα δωμα;” Id.Fr.1011 (lyr.); “τί καινὸν ἦλθε δώμασιν χ.;” Id.HF530, cf. Ar. Nu.30 (with play on signf.1), Theoc.24.66.
III. in Od.11.479, ἦλθον Τειρεσίαο κατὰ χρέος seems to be = Τειρεσίᾳ χρησόμενος (10.492) to consult him.
2. elsewh. κατὰ χρέος means according to what is needful, in due fashion, h.Merc.138, A.R.3.189, Arat.343.
IV. duty, task, charge, office, “ἦλθε τωὔτ᾽ ἐπὶ χρέος” Pi.O.1.45, cf. 7.40; “οἷς τόδ᾽ ἦν χρέος” A.Pers.777, cf. Th.20; “τὸ σὸν μελέσθω . . φρουρῆσαι χρέος” S.El.74, cf. E.Or.1253 (lyr.), IT883 (lyr.).
V. τὸ συνδρῶν χ. the circumstance of being an accomplice, E.Andr.337.
VI. anything useful or serviceable, “χρεῶν χρηΐζοντι μετάδοσιν ποιήσασθαι” Hp.Jusj.; δέκα στατῆρανς καταστασεῖ, τῶ δὲ χρήϊος ( = χρέους）“ διπλεῖ ὄτι κ᾽ ὀ δικαστὰς ὀμόσει συνεσσάκσαι” Leg.Gort.3.14, cf. 11, GDI5100.11 (Malla).
2. value, validity, υηδὲν ἐς χρῆος (or χρέος） ἤμην τὰν δόσιν the gift shall be of no value, i. e. invalid, Leg.Gort.10.24, cf. 31.
