The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

αἷμα

haima

blood

Appears 116 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

αἷμα, ατος, τό,
blood, Il. 1.303, etc.; φόνος αἵματος 16.162; ψυχῆς ἄκρατον αἷμα S. El. 786: in pl., streams of blood, A. Ag. 1293, S. Ant. 121, E. El. 1172, Alc. 496.
2. of anything like blood, Βακχίου Tim. Fr. 7; αἷ. σταφυλῆς LXX Si. 39.26, cf. App.Anth. 3.166 (Procl.).
b. dye obtained from ἄγχουσα, alkanet, PHolm. 15.25, PLeid.X. 99.3.
3. with collat. meaning of spirit, courage, οὐκ ἔχων αἷμα pale, spiritless Aeschin. 3.160; τοὺς αἷμα φάσκοντας τὴν ψυχήν Arist. de An. 405b4.
II. bloodshed, murder, A. Ch. 520, S. OT 101; ὅμαιμον αἷ. a kinsmanʼs murder, A. Supp. 449; εἴργασται μητρῷον αἷ. E. Or. 285, cf. 406; αἶ. πράττειν ib. 1139; αἷμα συγγενὲς κτείνας S. Fr. 799.3; αἷμα τραγοκτόνον shedding of goatʼs blood, E. Ba. 139; ἐφʼ αἵματι φεύγειν to avoid trial for murder by going into exile, SIG 58 (Milet., V B.C.), D. 21.105; αἷμα συγγενὲς φεύγων E. Supp. 148: pl. in this sense, A. Ch. 66, 650, freq. in E., never in S.; αἵματα σύγγονα brothers’ corpses, E. Ph. 1502:—concrete, νεακόνητον αἷ. keen-edged death, i. e. a sword, S. El. 1394 (expl. by μάχαιρα, Hsch.).
III. blood relationship, kin, αἷ. τε καὶ γένος Od. 8.583; αἵματός εἰς ἀγαθοῖο 4.611; οΐ σῆς ἐξ αἵματός εἰσι γενέθλης Il. 19.111; τὸ αἷ. τινος his blood or origin, Pi. N. 11.34; αἷ. ἐμφύλιον incestuous kinship, S. OT 1406; τοὺς πρὸς αἵματος Id. Aj. 1305, cf. Arist. Pol. 1262a11; μητρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἐν αἵματι akin to her by blood, A. Eu. 606, cf. Th. 141; ἀφʼ αἵματος ὑμετέρου S. OC 245.
2. concrete, of a person, ὦ Διὸς . . αἷμα IG 14.1003.1, cf. 1389 ii4, etc.
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