περί : around,
see ἀμφί.—I. adv. (including
the so - called ‘tmesis’).— (1)
around, all round;
περὶ γάρ ῥά ἑ χαλκὸς ἔλεψεν
| φύλλα τε καὶ φλοιόν, i. e.
the leaves and bark that encircled it, Il. 1.236; so of throwing a cloak about
one, standing around in crowds, being enveloped by the shades of
night, Il. 3.384, Il. 10.201.—(2) over and
above others, in an extraordinary degree,
very;
περί τοι μένος, ‘thou hast
exceeding strength’, Od.
12.279
; περὶ μὲν θείειν ταχύν,
Il. 16.186; τὸν
περὶ Μοῦσα φίλησε, ‘above others,’
‘extraordinarily,’ Od.
8.63.—A subst. in the appropriate case may specify
the relation of the adv., περὶ δὲ ζώνην βάλετ᾽
ἰξυῖ (dat. of place), Od.
5.231
; ἦ σε περὶ Ζεὺς ἀνθρώπων ἤχθηρε
(partitive gen.), Od. 19.363, in the
phrase περὶ κῆρι, περὶ θυ_μῷ, περί
is adv., and the dat. local.—II. prep., (1) w. gen., rare of
place, περὶ τρόπιος βεβαώς, i. e.
bestriding it, Od. 5.130, 68; usually
met., about, for, in behalf of, of the obj. of
contention or the thing defended, μάχεσθαι περὶ
νηός, ἀμυ?νεσθαι περὶ νηῶν, Π 1, Il. 12.142; then with verbs of saying,
inquiring, about, concerning, of (de), μνήσασθαι περὶ πομπῆς, Od. 7.191; rarely causal, περὶ ἔριδος μάρνασθαι, Il. 7.301; denoting superiority,
above, περὶ πάντων ἔμμεναι
ἄλλων, Il. 1.287; so with
adjectives, περὶ πάντων κρατερός,
ὀιζυρός.—(2) w. dat., local, around,
on, as of something transfixed on a spit or a weapon, περὶ δουρὶ πεπαρμένη, Il. 21.577; so of clothing on the person,
περὶ χροῒ εἵματα ἔχειν, χαλκὸς περὶ
στήθεσσι, κνι?ση ἑλισσομένη περὶ καπνῷ, curling
‘around in’ the smoke, Il. 1.317; then sometimes w. verbs of contending, like the
gen., about, for, Od.
2.245, Od. 17.471, Il. 16.568, and w. a verb of fearing,
Il. 10.240. Often the dat. is to be
explained independently, περί being
adverbial, see above (I).— (3) w. acc., local implying
motion, στῆσαι (τὶ) περὶ βωμόν, φυλάσσειν
περὶ
μῆλα, and esp. of sounds, fumes floating
around, coming over the senses, stealing over one, περὶ δέ σφεας ἤλυθ̓ ἰωή, Κύκλωπα περὶ φρένας ἤλυθεν
οἶνος, ‘went to his head,’ we should
say, Od. 17.261, Od. 9.362; met., of that in which one is
interested, πονεῖν περί τι,
‘about,’ ‘over,’
‘with,’ Il.
24.444, Od.
4.624.