ἄναξ

anax

lord, master

Appears 230 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

ἄναξ [ᾰ], ἄνακτος (cf. Ἄνακες), , rarely fem. ὦ ἄνα for ἄνασσα, Pi. P. 12.4, cf. A. Fr. 342: (ϝάναξ IG 4.236 (Corinth), etc., cf. ϝάνακες 4.564 (Argos)):—A. lord, master, 1. of the gods, esp. Apollo, ἄγουσι δὲ δῶρα Ἄνακτι Il. 1.390, al.; ὁ Πύθιος ἄναξ A. Ag. 509; ἄναξ Ἄπολλον ib.513, Eu. 85, etc.; ὦναξ Ἄπ. S. OT 80; ὦναξ without Ἄπολλον, Hdt. 1.159, 4.150, al.; of Zeus, Hom. only in voc., Ζεῦ ἄνα Il. 3.351, 16.233; Ζεὺς ἄναξ A. Pers. 762; ἄναξ ἀνάκτων . . Ζεῦ Id. Supp. 524; μὰ τὸν Δία τὸν Ἄνακτα D. 35.40; Poseidon, A. Th. 130; ὦ δέσποτʼ ἄναξ, of Ἀήρ, Ar. Nu. 264; of Apollo Ἀγυιεύς, Id. V. 875; ὦναξ δέσποτα, of Πλοῦτος, Id. Pl. 748; esp. of the Dioscuri, cf. Ἄνακες, Ἄνακοι; of all the gods, πάντων ἀνάκτων . . κοινοβωμίαν A. Supp. 222, cf. Pi. O. 10(11).49.—The irreg. voc. ἄνα (q. v.) is never addressed save to gods; ὦναξ is freq. in Trag. and Com. II. of the Homeric heroes, esp. of Agamemnon, as general-in-chief ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν Ἀ. Il. 1.442, al. (so Euphetes 15.532, while Ortilochos is called πολέεσσʼ ἄνδρεσσιν ἄνακτα 5.546):—also as a title of rank, e.g. of Teiresias, Od. 11.144, 151, S. OT 284; of the sons or brothers of kings (υἱεῖς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ καλοῦνται ἄνακτες Arist. Fr. 526, cf. Isoc. 9.72, Clearch. 25, and so of Creon, S. OT 85, cf. 911), and esp. of kings, as Xerxes, A. Pers. 5, Darius, ib.787, cf. Ag. 42, E. Ph. 17, Or. 349, etc.; βασιλῆι ἄνακτι lord king, Od. 20.194; of the emperors, θεοὶ ἄνακτες IG 14.2012A2, 4.1475 (Epid.). III. master of the house, οἴκοιο ἄναξ Od. 1.397; ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα κύνες 10.216; as denoting the relation of master to slave, freq. in Od.; ἄναξ, θεοὺς γὰρ δεσπότας καλεῖν χρεών E. Hipp. 88; of the Cyclops, as owner of flocks, Od. 9.440. IV. metaph., κώπης, ναῶν ἄνακτες lords of the oar, of ships, A. Pers. 378,383; πύλης ἄ. θυρωρέ, of a porter, S. Fr. 775; ἄ. ὅπλων E IA 1260; ψευδῶν Id. Andr. 447; ὑπήνης Pl.Com. 122; κέντρων, of planets holding cardinal points, Man. 1.66.—Poet. word.
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