χείρ the penult. is regularly short, when the ult. is long: e.g. χειρός, χερών, but Poets used the penult. long or short, as the verse required.
I.the hand, Hom., etc.: also the hand and arm, the arm, χεῖρα μέσην ἀγκῶνος ἔνερθεν Il.; χεῖρες ἀπ᾽ ὤμων ἀΐσσοντο Hes.; so, ἐν χερσὶ πεσεῖν into the arms, Il., etc.; ἄκρη χείρ, to denote the hand as distinct from the arm, id=Il.
II.Special usages:
1.to denote position, ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ χειρός Od.; ἐπὶ δεξιὰ χειρός Pind.; λαιᾶς χειρός on the left hand, Aesch.; ποτέρας τῆς χειρός; on which hand? Eur.
2.the dat. is common with Verbs which imply the use of hands, χειρὶ λαβεῖν, χερσὶν ἑλέσθαι, etc., Hom., etc.
4.the acc. is used when one takes the hand of a person, χεῖρα γέροντος ἑλών id=Il.; χεῖράς τ᾽ ἀλλήλων λαβέτην, in pledge of good faith, id=Il.
5.other uses of the acc.:
a.of suppliants, χεῖρας ἀνασχεῖν θεοῖς, in prayer, id=Il.; χεῖρας ἀμφιβάλλειν γούνασι or δείρῃ Od.; also, χεῖρας αἴρειν is to hold up hands in voting, Xen., etc.:— χεῖρα ὑπερέχειν τινός or τινί to hold the hand over him as a protector, Il.
6.with Preps., ἀπὸ χειρὸς λογίζεσθαι to reckon off hand, roughly, Ar.:— διὰ χερῶν λαβεῖν, literally, to take between the hands, Soph.; διὰ χειρὸς ἔχειν to have in hand, i. e. under control, Thuc.; and so, to have a work in hand, id=Thuc.: —so, εἰς χεῖρας λαμβάνειν to take in hand, undertake, Eur.; ἄγεσθαί τι ἐς χεῖρας Hdt.; ἐς χεῖρας ἱκέσθαι τινός to fall into his hands, Il.; ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, ἰέναι τινί to come to blows or close quarters with, Lat. manum conserere cum aliquo, Aesch., Soph.; Hdt. expresses this by ἐς χειρῶν νόμον ἀπικέσθαι:—also, εἰς χεῖρας δέχεσθαι or ὑπομένειν to await their charge, Xen., Thuc.: —ἐκ χειρός from near at hand, close, Lat. cominus, Xen.:— ἐν χερσίν or ἐν χειρὶ ἔχειν, like διὰχειρὸς ἔχειν, to have in hand, be engaged in, Hdt., Plat.; ἐν χερσί hand to hand, Lat. cominus, Thuc.:— κατὰ χειρός, of washing the hands before meals, ὕδωρ κατὰ χειρός or κατὰ χειρὸς ὕδωρ (sc. φερέτω τις), Ar.:— μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχειν between i. e. in, the hands, Il.; but, μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχειν to have in hand, be engaged in, Hdt., Thuc.:— πρὸ χειρῶν close before one, Soph., Eur.:— πρὸς χεῖρα at a sign given by hand, Soph.:— ὑπὸ χεῖρα ποιεῖσθαι to bring under one's power, Xen.; cf. ὑποχείριος.
III.to denote act or deed, as opp. to mere words, in pl., ἔπεσιν καὶ χερσὶν ἀρήξειν Il.; χερσίν τε ποσίν τε id=Il.; χερσὶν ἢ λόγῳ Soph.; μιᾷ χειρί single- handed, Dem.; χειρὶ καὶ ποδὶ καὶ πάσῃ δυνάμει Aeschin.:—esp. of deeds of violence, πρὶν χειρῶν γεύσασθαι before we try force, Od.; ἀδίκων χειρῶν ἄρχειν to give the first blow, Xen.
IV.like Lat. manus, a body of men, a band, number, Hdt., Thuc.; πολλῇ χ. Eur.; οἰκεία χείρ, for χεὶρ οἰκετῶν, id=Eur.
VI.of any implement resembling a hand:
1.a kind of gauntlet or target, Xen.
