A.“σχετλίη” Il.3.414, Od.23.150; “σχέτλιαι” 4.729; rarely σχέτλιος , ον E.IT651 (lyr.): (σχεθ-εῖν, v. Σχέθω).
I. of persons, able to hold out, unwearying, unflinching, “ς. ἐσσι, γεραιέ: σὺ μὲν πόνου οὔ ποτε λήγεις” Il.10.164; “ς. εἰς, Ὀδυσεῦ: περί τοι μένος οὐδέ τι γυῖα κάμνεις” Od.12.279.
2. mostly in bad sense, flinching from no cruelty or wickedness, merciless, headstrong, in Hom. mostly of heroes, as Achilles, Il.9.630, 16.203; Hector, 17.150, 22.86; Patroclus, 18.13; Odysseus, Od.11.474, al.; Heracles, Il.5.403; “ς., οὐδὲ θεῶν ὄπιν αἰδέσατ᾽” Od.21.28; of the Cyclops, 9.351,478; of Zeus, Il.2.112, Od. 3.161; of the gods generally, σχέτλιοί ἐστε, θεοί, Il.24.33, Od.5.118; of Cronos, Hes.Th.488; of Odysseus and his companions, “σχέτλιοι, οἳ . . ” Od.12.21; of women, 4.729, al.: so also in Att. of men, wicked, πῶς ἂν ἄνθρωποι -ώτεροι ἢ ἀνομώτεροι γένοιντο; Antipho 6.47, cf. D.30.36; “-ώτατος” And.1.124, Isoc.5.103, etc.; “ς. καὶ ἀναιδής” D.19.16, etc.; of wild beasts, ὅσα ς. καὶ ἀνιηρά savage, Hdt.3.108.
3. miserable, wretched, A.Pr.644; freq. with a notion of contempt, “ὦ σχετλιώτατε ἀνδρῶν” O most wretched fool! Hdt.3.155; “ὦ σχέτλιε” S.Ph.369,930, E. Alc.824; “ὦ σχετλία” S.Ant.47: sts. c. gen., ὦ σχετλία . . τῶν πόνων because of sufferings, E.Hec.783, cf. Alc.741 (anap.), Andr.1179 (lyr.). --This sense of miserable never occurs in Hom.; in Il.3.414, 18.13, the sense of headstrong should be retained.
II. of things, first in Od., ὕπνος ς. cruel sleep, during which Odysseus was betrayed by his companions, 10.69; and in the phrase ς. ἔργα, cruel, shocking, abominable doings, 9.295, 22.413 (= ἀτασθαλίαι v. 416); opp. δίκη and αἴσιμα ἔργα, 14.83, cf. Hes.Op.238, Thgn.733, Hdt.6.138, etc.; “ς. πέπονθα πράγματα” Ar.Pl.856; “τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ς. πάθημα” X.An.7.6.30; also σχέτλια alone, “σχέτλια παθεῖν” E.Supp. 1074 (lyr.), IA932, etc.; “ς. λέγεις καὶ ὑπερφυῆ” Pl.Grg.467b; “ς. καὶ δεινά” Ar.Ra.612; “δεινὰ καὶ ς. πείσεται” Isoc.18.35, cf. E.Cyc.587; “σχέτλιον” shocking, h.Ven.254; “ς. γε” Ar.Lys.498 (anap.); “ὃ δὲ πάντων -ώτατον” Isoc.6.56; also σχέτλια [ἐστί], c. acc. et inf., hard, S.Aj. 887 (lyr.).
III. Adv. “-ίως” Isoc.19.31: Sup. -ιώτατα f.l. in S.Tr. 879. [Hom. always puts σχέτλιος emphatically at the beginning of a line, exc. once in fem., Il.3.414; and twice in neut., Od.14.83, 22.413. He always uses the 1st syll. long, exc. in Il.3.414, where σχετλίη has the first syll. short, as in E.Andr.1179 (lyr.), Cyc.587, al., and Ar. ll.cc.]