The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

χρώς

chros

skin or flesh

Appears 77 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

χρώς, ὁ, gen. χρωτός, dat. χρωτί, acc. χρῶτα (Att. χρώ only in Choerob. in Theod. 1.248H.): Ep. and Ion. gen. χροός, dat. χροΐ, acc. χρόα (also in Lesbian, Sapph. Supp. 10.6, al.), as always in Hom.and Hes., exc. gen. χρωτός in Il. 10.575, acc. χρῶτα Od. 18.172, 179, Hes. Op. 556; Emp. uses χρωτός, 76.3 (but χροΐ 100.17); Pi. uses χρωτί, χρῶτα, P. 1.55, I. 4(3).23(41); these forms are freq. in Trag., but Ion. dat. χροΐ occurs in S. Tr. 605, and χροός, χροΐ, χρόα are freq. in E., Hec. 548, Med. 1175, Ph. 264, al. :—dat. χρῷ occurs in the phrase ἐν χρῷ v. infr. I.2 and in Sapph. 2.10.—rare in Com.and Att. Prose.
I. of the human body, skin or flesh, οὔ σφι λίθος χρὼς οὐδὲ σίδηρος Il. 4.510; καὶ γάρ θην τούτῳ τρωτὸς χρώς 21.568; χρῶτʼ ἀπονιψαμένη Od. 18.172; ἀκρότατον δʼ ἄρʼ ὀϊστὸς ἐπέγραψε χρόα Il. 4.139; ταμέειν χρόα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ 13.501; λιλαιοένη χροὸς ἆσαι, of a spear, 21.168; κακὰ χροΐ εἵματʼ ἔχοντα Od. 14.506; χρῷ πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμακεν Sapph. 2.10; μύροις χρῶτα λιπαίνων Anaxil. 18.1 (anap.): esp. flesh, opp. bone, φθινύθει δʼ ἀμφʼ ὀστεόφι χρώς Od. 16.145; οὐδέ τί οἱ χρὼς σήπεται Il. 24.414, cf. 19.33 (which usage is said by Gal. to have been Ionic, 18(2).435, with reference to Hp. Fract. 9); τὸ δέρμα τοῦ χρωτός LXX Le. 13.11, etc.; τοῦ χρωτὸς ἥδιστον ἀπέπνει Aristox. Fr.Hist. 84: generally, oneʼs body, frame, Pi. P. 1.55, A. Fr. 192.6 (anap.); χριμφθῆναι χροΐ Id. Supp. 790 (lyr.); στεῖλαί νυν ἀμφὶ χρωτὶ . . πέπλους E. Ba. 821, cf. S. Tr. 605: pl., διὰ τί . . οἱ χρῶτες ὄζουσι; Arist. Pr. 877b21; also κατεδήσαντο . . τοὺς ὑγιεῖς χρῶτας, ὡς τραυματίαι D.H. 9.50.
2. ἐν χροΐ, or ἐν χρῷ, close to the skin, ἐν χροΐ κείρειν to shave close, Hdt. 4.175; ἐν χρῷ κεκαρμένοι X. HG 1.7.8; ἐν χρῷ κουριῶντας Pherecr. 30:—metaph., to the quick, ξυρεῖ γὰρ ἐν χρῷ τοῦτο S. Aj. 786; ἐν χρῷ παραπλεῖν sail past so as to shave or graze, Th. 2.84; τὴν μάχην συνάψαι ἐν χρῷ to fight at close quarters, Plu. Thes. 27; ἡ ἐν χρῷ συνουσία close acquaintance, Luc. Ind. 3: c. gen., ἐν χρῷ τινος close to, hard by a person or thing, τοῦ θώρακος (v.l. σώματος) Plu. Alex. fort. 2.345a; τῆς γῆς Fac.lun. ib. 925b, Luc. Herm. 5: abs., ἐν χρῷ near at hand, Id. Hist.Conscr. 24, al.; cf. EM 313.53, Hsch.
II. the colour of the skin, complexion, μελαίνετο δὲ χρόα καλόν Il. 5.354; τρέπεται χ. his colour changes, i. e. he turns pale, 13.279, cf. 17.733; ὠχρήσαντα χρόα Od. 11.529; χρόα . . ἀμείβειν Parm. 8.41; μεθίστη χρωτὸς . . φύσιν E. Alc. 174; μεταλλακτῆρα πουλύπουν χροός Ion Trag. 36; τί χρὼς τέτραπται; (paratrag.) Ar. Lys. 127; φεῦγε δʼ ἀπὸ χρώς Theocr. 23.13; rare in Att. Prose, ἐπὶ τῷ χρωτὶ μέγα φρονεῖν X. Smp. 4.54, cf. Oec. 10.5: in Ion. Prose, of the colour of a finger, χροΐ δῆλα Pherecyd.Syr. ap. D.L. 1.118 (v.l. χρωΐ, cf. Vorsokr. 5i.44).
2. generally, colour, ἀμείβων χρῶτα πορφυρᾷ βαφῇ A. Pers. 317; τὸν χρῶτα [μεταβάλλει] ὁ χαμαιλέων Arist. Mir. 832b14; χρὼς αἵματος Orph. L. 660.
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