The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

χέρσος

chersos

dry land

Appears 21 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

χέρσος, later Att. χέρρος, ἡ, A. dry land, opp. water, ἐπὶ χέρσου, opp. ἐν πόντῳ, Od. 10.459, cf. 15.495; κύματα μακρὰ κυλινδόμενα προτὶ χέρσον 9.147; λάϊγγας ποτὶ χ. ἀποπλύνεσκε θάλασσα 6.95; κῦμα . . βοάᾳ ποτὶ χ. Il. 14.394; κῦμα . . χέρσῳ ῥηγνύμενον μεγάλα βρέμει 4.425; χέρσον ἱκέσθαι Od. 9.486, 542; ἐπὶ χέρσω Sapph. Supp. 9.10; κατὰ χέρσον A. Pers. 873 (lyr.), E. IT 884 (lyr.); χέρσῳ on or by land, A. Pers. 977 (lyr.), Ag. 558, E. Hel. 1066: prov., ἐν πόντῳ νᾶες, ἐνχέρσῳ πόλεμοι Pi. O. 12.4, cf. N. 1.62; πολλὰ . . ἐκ θαλάσσης, πολλὰ δʼ ἐκ χέρσου κακὰ γίγνεται A. Pers. 707 (troch.); πάνδοκον εἰς ἀφανῆ τε χ., of the realm of Hades, Id. Th. 860(lyr.).—In Hom. the gender cannot be determined, fem. Pi. Fr. 75.17 (dub.l.), A. Supp. 31 (anap.), Thphr. CP 3.13.3, D.S. 3.15, etc.: pl., ἐν ταῖς χέρσοις on barren soils, Thphr. HP 8.6.4. II. after Hom. as Adj., χέρσος, ον, dry, firm, of land, Hdt. 2.99; Εὐρώπαν ποτὶ χέρσον to the mainland of Europe, Pi. N. 4.70; ἐν κονίᾳ χέρσῳ, opp. πόντῳ, ib.9.43. 2. dry, hard, barren, τῆς χώρης ἐούσης χ. Hdt. 4.123; στύφλος δὲ γῆ καὶ χ. S. Ant. 251; παραδοῦναι [τὴν γῆν] χέρρον, i.e. ψιλήν, without a crop on it, IG 22.2492.16; χ. καὶ ἄκανθα ἔσται ἡ γῆ LXX Is. 7.24; χέρσα waste places, A. Fr. 189; χ. λιμήν a harbour left dry, AP 9.427 (Barb.): freq. in Pap., PAmh. 2.31.12 (ii B. C.), etc. 3. metaph., barren, of women, χέρσους φθαρῆναι κἀγάμους S. OT 1502. b. c. gen., barren of, πυρὰ χέρσος ἀγλαϊς μάτων E. El. 325. (Cf. Skt. hárṣate ‘become stiff, bristle’, Avest. zarštva- ‘stone’, Lat. horreo.)
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