A.“ἐπείρων” Th.4.25 : fut. -άσω [α_] ib.9, 43 : aor. “ἐπείρα_σα” S.OC1276, Ar.Eq.517, Th.6.54 : pf. “πεπείρα_κα” Luc.Am.26 :—Pass., aor. ἐπειράθην [α_] Th.6.54; cf. πειράζω.
B. more freq. in Med. πειράομαι , Il.2.193, 24.390, etc. : fut. -άσομαι [α_] S.OC959, etc.; Dor. 2pl. “πειρασεῖσθε” Ar.Ach.743, cf. Hippod. ap. Stob.4.1.94; later “πειρα_θήσομαι” Gp.12.13.12 : aor. ἐπειρα_σάμην, Ion. ἐπειρησάμην, Od.8.120, Hdt.7.135, Th.2.44,al.; but aor. Pass. ἐπειρήθην, Att. ἐπειράθην [α_], found in med. sense, Il.19.384, al., Hdt.3.152,al., Th.2.5 (v.l.), 33, 6.92, and in later Prose : pf. πεπείρα_μαι, Ion. -ημαι, Od.3.23, Pi.Fr.110, Hdt.9.46, S.Fr.584, Antipho 5.1, etc. : 3pl. plpf. “ἐπεπείραντο” D.C.Fr.24.3, Ion. “ἐπεπειρέατο” Hdt. 7.125. (From πεῖρα.)
A. Act., attempt, endeavour, try, c. inf., “μήτε τις . . πειράτω διακέρσαι ἐμὸν ἔπος” Il.8.8; “πειρήσω (δύναμαι) φηλητέων ὄρχαμος εἶναι” h.Merc. 175; “π. ἐς τὴν Μηδικὴν ἐσβάλλειν” Hdt.6.84, cf. Ar.V.1025, al. : folld. by ὡς . . , Il.4.66, Od.2.316, etc.; by ὅπως . . , 4.545 : c. Adj. neut., “πολλὰ πειρῶντες” Th.6.38; “πάντα” Plu. 2.1122b : with inf. understood, Th.7.32.
II. c. gen. pers., make trial of one, μή μευ πειράτω, for the purpose of persuading, Il.9.345, cf. 24.433; of things, “τευχέων” A.R.3.1249 : in hostile sense, make an attempt on, “μήλων πειρήσοντα” Il.12.301, Od.6.134; οὐ πειρᾶν τῆς πόλιος, πρὶν . . Hdt.6.82; “π. τοῦ χωρίου” Th.1.61; “Νισαίας” Id.4.70; “ἀλλήλων” Id.7.38; “νυμφείας εὐνᾶς” Pi.N.5.30.
2. c. acc. pers., make an attempt on a woman's honour, Ar.Eq.517 (ubiv. Sch.), Pl. 150, 1067, Lys.1.12, X. Cyr.5.2.28, etc. :—Pass., “πειραθεὶς ὁ Ἁρμόδιος ὑπὸ Ἱππάρχου” Th.6.54, cf. Pl. Phdr.227c ; v. infr. B. IV, cf. “πεῖρα” 11.
B. more freq. in Med., c. inf., try to do, Il.4.5, Hdt.5.71, 6.138, al., Ar.Pl.459, X.Oec.6.2, Lys. 12.64, Isoc.3.41, Pl. Tht. 186b : c. fut. inf., J.AJ17.8.4 : the inf. is sts. understood, πειρήσεται (sc. ἀλύξαι) Od.4.417 : folld. by εἰ, Il.13.806, Pl.Phd.95b; “πειρήσεται αἴ κε θέῃσιν” Il.18.601; by ἐάν or ἄν, A.Pr.327, Pl.Lg.638e; by μὴ . . , lest . . , Od.21.394; by ὅπως . . , X.An.3.2.3 : c. part., freq. in Hdt., “ἐπειρᾶτο ἐπιών” 1.77; προσβαίνων ib.84; “π. βιώμενοι” 4.139; “π. ἀποσχίζων” 6.9, cf. 5,50, 7.139, al.; “π. σκοπῶν” Pl. Tht. 190e<*> c. neut. Adj., τὰ μεγάλα καὶ τὰ μικρὰ π. X.Cyr.1.5.14.
II. most freq. (V.A. 11) c. gen.,
1. c. gen. pers., make trial of one, Il.10.444, Od.13.336, etc.; νῦν σεῦ, ξεῖνε, ὀΐω πειρήσεσθαι, εἰ . . 19.215; “ἕο αὐτοῦ ἐν ἔντεσι . . εἰ οἷ ἐφαρμόσσειε” Il.19.384; with gen. not expressed, “ἔπεσιν πειρήσομαι” 2.73 ; ἦ πρῶτ᾽ ἐξερέοιτο ἕκαστά τε πειρήσαιτο test him in each particular, Od.4.119 (v.l. μυθήσαιτο) ; π. θεοῦ make trial of, tempt a god, Hdt.6.86. γ́, cf. A.Ag. 1663 (troch.) : in hostile sense, “πρὶν πειρήσαιτ᾽ Ἀχιλῆος” Il.21.580 (with acc. cogn. added “ἀέθλους . . ἐπειρήσαντ᾽ Ὀδυσῆος” Od.8.23) : freq. in Hdt., esp. ἀλλήλων πειρᾶσθαι, as “ἐπειρῶντο κατὰ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ἀλλήλων” 1.76; “πειρᾶσθέ μου γυναικὸς ὡς ἀφράσμονος” A.Ag. 1401, etc.; π. τῆς Πελοποννήσου make an attempt on it, Hdt.8.100; “π. τοῦ τείχους” Th.2.81.
2. c. gen. rei, make proof or trial of . . , “σθένεος” Il. 15.359; “ἥβης” 23.432; χειρῶν καὶ σθένεος π., ἢ . . ἦ . . Od. 21.282; try one's chance at or in a work or contest, “ἔργου” 18.369; ἀέθλου, ἀέθλων, Il.23.707, Od. 8.100, etc.; παλαιμοσύνης ib. 126; make proof of, try a weapon, “τόξου” 21.159,180; νευρῆς ib.410 (but [ὀϊστοί,] τῶν τάχ᾽ ἔμελλον πειρήσεσθαι arrows whose force they were soon to make trial of, i. e.feel, ib. 418); also, make proof of, have experience of, esp. in pf. Pass., first in Hes., “νηῶν” Op.660 ; “οὐ πεπειρημένοι πρότερον [οἱ] Αἰγύπτιοι Ἑλλήνων” Hdt.4.159, cf. Pl.Phd.118; πειρασάμενος ἀγαθῶν, δουλείας, Th.2.44, 5.69, cf. Antipho 5.1; “κακῶν” D.18.253; ὀρφανίας π., i.e. to be an orphan, Phalar. Ep.49; but π. τινὸς μετρίου find him moderate by experience or on trial, Plu. Aem.8, cf. Arat.43; also, πεπείρανται ὅτι . . Lys.27.2.
3. abs., try one's fortune, try the chances of war, “αἴ κε θεὸς πειρώμενος ἐνθάδ᾽ ἵκηται” Il.5.129 ; πειρώμενος ἢ ἐν ἀέθλῳ ἠὲ καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ making trial of one's powers, 16.590; Ἕκτορι πειρηθῆναι ἀντιβίην, ἢ . . ἦ . . to try one's fortune against him, 21.225; περὶ δ᾽ αὐτῆς πειρηθήτω (sc. τῆς ἵππου) let him try for her, as a prize, 23.553.
III. make a trial or put a matter to the test, “ἐν σοὶ πειρώμεθα” Pl.Phlb.21a : c. dat. modi, “ἐγχείῃ πειρήσομαι” Il.5.279; ἐπειρήσαντο πόδεσσι tried their luck in the foot-race, Od.8.120, cf. 205; “σφαίρῃ” 8.377; also π. σὺν ἔντεσι, σὺν τεύχεσι π., Il.5.220, 11.386 : but in pf., οὐδέ τί πω μύθοισι πεπείρημαι I have not tried myself, have not found my skill, in words, Od.3.23 : abs., “ὁ πειραθεὶς πιστεύσει” X.Eq.Mag.1.16 ; πεπειραμένος σαφῶς οἶδα by experience, Id.Hier.2.6.