The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

βόσκω

bosko

feed, tend

Appears 21 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

βόσκω, impf. ἔβοσκον, Ep. βόσκε Il. 15.548: fut. -ήσω Od. 17.559, Ar. Ec. 590: aor. ἐβόσκησα Gp. 18.7: pf. βεβόσκηκα PMag. 6.13 (iii B. C.):—Pass. and Med. (v. infr. II); Ion. impf. βοσκέσκοντο Od. 12.355: fut. βοσκήσομαι Sarap. in Plu. 2.398d, Dor. βοσκησεῦμαι Theoc. 5.103: aor. ἐβοσκήθην Nic. Th. 34, Babr. 89.7. I. prop. of herdsmen, feed, tend, αἰπόλια Od. 14.102; ταὦς Stratt. 27; ὁ βόσκων the feeder, Arist. HA 540a18. 2. generally, feed, nourish, βόσκει γαῖα . . ἀνθρώπους Od. 11.365, cf. 14.325; γαστέρα βοσκήσεις 17.559; πάντα βόσκουσαν φλόγα . . Ἡλίου S. OT 1425; maintain, keep, ἐπικούρους Hdt. 6.39; ναυτικόν Th. 7.48; γυναῖκας Ar. Lys. 260; οἰκέτας ib.1204, Herod. 7.44: metaph., β. νόσον S. Ph. 313; πράγματα β. troubles, i.e. children, Ar. V. 313. II. Pass., of cattle, feed, graze, Od. 21.49, etc.; ξύλοχον κάτα Il. 5.162: c.acc., feed on, ποίην h.Merc. 27,232, cf. A. Ag. 118 (lyr.), Arist. HA 591a16, al.; τινί A. Th. 244. 2. metaph., to be fed or nurtured, ἰυγμοῖσι Id. Ch. 26 (lyr.); κούφοις πνεύμασιν S. Aj. 558; ἐλπίσιν E. Ba. 617; β. τινί or περί τι run riot in a thing, AP 5.271 (Paul. Sil.), prob. in 285 (Id.). (gṷō, cf. Lith. guotas ‘herd’.)
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