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χρεία (written χρέα PCair.Zen.25.2,148 (iii B. C.)), Ion. χρείη Call. in PSI11.1216.43, ἡ: (χράομαι, κέχρημαι):—
A.need, want, “χρείας ὕπο” A.Th.287; ἵν᾽ ἕσταμεν χρείας considering in what great need we are, S.OT1443; χρείᾳ πολεμεῖν to war with necessity, Id.OC 191 (anap.): c. gen., want of . . , “φαρμάκων χρείᾳ κατεσκέλλοντο” A.Pr. 481; “ἐν χρείᾳ τύχης” Id.Th.506; ἐν χρείᾳ δορός in the need or stress of war, S.Aj.963; “φορβῆς χρείᾳ” Id.Ph.162 (anap.), cf. 1004: ἵππων ἡμῖν χρεία μὲν οὔτε τις πολλῶν οὔτε πολλή [ἐστιν] Pl.Lg.834b; ἦ μὴν ἔτ᾽ ἐμοῦ χρείαν ἕξει will have need of my help, A.Pr.170 (anap.), cf. Call.l.c.; ἀφίκοντο εἰς χρείαν τῆς πόλεως came to feel the need of its assistance, Pl.Mx.244d; ἰατρῶν ἐν χρείαις ἐσόμεθα, ἐν χρείᾳ ἡγεμόνος εἶναι, Pl.R.373d, 566e; “ὅτου σε χ. ἔχει” S.Ph.646; so τίς χ. σ᾽ ἐμοῦ [ἔχει]; E.Hec.976, cf. “χρεώ” 1.2 : χρείαν ἔχω, c. inf., Ev.Matt.3.14 (folld. by (ίνα, Ev.Jo.2.25); signfs.1.1 and 111 in the same sentence, οὐχ οὕτως χ. ἔχομεν τῆς χ. παρὰ τῶν φίλων ὡς . . Epicur.Sent.Vat.34: prov., χ. διδάσκει, κἂν βραδύς τις ᾖ, σοφόν 'necessity is the mother of invention', E.Fr.715, cf.El.376, Men.263: pl., “αἱ χρεῖαι τολμᾶν βιάζονται” Antipho 3.2.1; “αἱ τοῦ σώματος χ.” X. Mem.3.12.5; “πρώτη γε καὶ μεγίστη τῶν χ. ἡ τῆς τροφῆς παρασκευή” Pl.R.369d; “αἱ ἀναγκαῖαι χ.” D.23.148, cf. 45.67 (sg.); “πολεμικαὶ χ.” Arist. Pol.1328b11.
2. want, poverty, S.Ph.175 (lyr.), E.Hel.420, etc.; “διὰ τὴν χ. καὶ τὴν πενίαν” Ar.Pl.534 (anap.).
3. a request of necessity, opp. ἀξίωσις (a claim of merit), Th.1.37, cf. 33: generally, request, “τὴν πρίν γε χ. ἠνύσασθ᾽ ἐμοῦ πάρα” A.Pr.700; κἀγὼ . . τοιάνδε σου χ. ἔχω make such a request of or to thee, Id.Ch.481.
II. business, ὡς πρὸς τί χρείας; for what purpose? S.OT1174, cf. 1435; “χρῆσθαί τινι χρείαν ἣν ἂν ἐθέλωσι” Pl.Lg.868b; “δοῦναι ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν χ.” Plb.8.16.11.
b. esp. military or naval service, ἡ πολεμικὴ χ. καὶ ἡ εἰρηνική the employments of war and of peace, Arist.Pol.1254b32; αἱ κατὰ θάλατταν [χ.], ἡ ἐν τῇ γῇ χ., Plb.6.52.1, 31.21.3; οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν χ. Aristeas 110, LXX 1 Ma.12.45; “οἱ πρὸς ταῖς χ.” Ju.12.10; “οἱ ἐπὶ χρειῶν τεταγμένοι” BGU543.1 (i B. C.); in military sense, action, engagement, “αἱ κατὰ μέρος χ.” Plb.1.84.7, al.
c. generally, business, employment, function, Id.3.45.2, etc.; ἡ ἐγκεχειρισμένη χ. the duty assigned, PTeb.741.11 (ii B. C.); “οὓς καταστήσομεν ἐπὶ τῆς χ. ταύτης” Act.Ap.6.3; “χ. πολιτικαί” Plu.Mar. 32, etc.
d. a business, affair, matter, like χρέος, Plb.2.49.9, al.; τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων χ. the study of these things, Epicur.Ep.1p.29U.
e. χ. ἀναγκαία need of nature, D.S.4.33; “τροφῆς χ.” Ph.2.472.
III. use,
1. as a property, use, advantage, service, “χρείης εἵνεκα μηδεμιῆς” Thgn.62; “τῆς χ. τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποστερηθῆναι” Antipho 3.3.4; “ἡ χ. τῆς ῥητορικῆς” Pl.Grg.480a; “πωλοῦντες τὴν τῆς ἰσχύος χ.” Id.R.371e; χρείαν ἔχειν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις to be of service to mankind, Id.Smp.204c; τὰ οὐδὲν εἰς χρείαν things of no use or service, D.Prooem. 56.3; χρείαν ἔχει εἴς τι is of service towards . . , Sosip.1.41; for S.OT 725, v. ἐρευνάω 1: pl., χρεῖαι . . φίλων ἀνδρῶν services rendered by them, Pi.N.8.42; χρείας παρέχεσθαι render services, Decr. ap. D.18.84, IG22.654.15, cf. Plb.1.16.8 (sg.); ἵνα σοι τὰς χ. παρέσχωμαι (sic) PCair.Zen.498 (iii B. C.); “μεγάλην παρεῖχε χ. τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν” Plb.3.97.4; παρέχειν χ. to be serviceable, useful, Aristo Stoic.1.79; “ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριακόσια χρειῶν γένη παρέχον δένδρον” Plu.2.724e; “χ. ναυτικαί” equipments, Ael.VH2.10.
2. as an action, using, use, “κτῆσις καὶ χ.” X.Mem.2.4.1, Pl.R.451c; ἐν χρείᾳ εἶναι in use, Id.Phd.87c; κατὰ τὴν χ. for use, Id.R.330c; “πρὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην χ.” X.Mem.4.2.25; ἡ χ. τῶν λόγων the employment of words, Pl.Sph. 239d, cf. Plt.272d: pl., λάμπει γὰρ ἐν χρείαισιν ὥσπερ . . χαλκός is made bright by constant use, S.Fr.864.
IV. of persons, familiarity, intimacy, τινος with one, Antipho 5.63: generally, any relation of business or intercourse, “ἐν χρείᾳ τινὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους” Pl.R.372a; “ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους χ.” Arist.Rh.1376b13; [“Νικόμαχος] συνεβίω Ἀμυντᾳ . . ἰατροῦ καὶ φίλου χρείᾳ” in the relationship, capacity, D.L.5.1.
V. Rhet., pregnant sentence, maxim, freq. illustrated by an anecdote, Sen.Ep.33.7, Hermog.Prog.3, Aphthon,Prog.3, Theon Prog.5, etc.: pl., title of works by Zeno (D.L.6.91), Aristipp., etc.; by Macho, a collection of sayings of courtesans, Ath.13.577d; “ἡ τοῦ Κλεομένους χ.” Plu.2.218a; χρεῖαι καὶ ἱστορίαι ib.78f.
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (66):
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