The Homer Reader The Iliad & Odyssey · Greek and English

νέκυς

nekys

corpse

Appears 78 times across Homer's epics.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

νέκυς (Lacon. νέκυρ Hsch.), ῠος, ὁ, poet. dat. νέκυϊ Il. 16.526, etc.; Ep. dat. pl. νεκύεσσι Od. 11.491, νέκυσσι ib.569, 22.401, 23.45; acc. pl. νέκῡς Il. 7.420, 18.180, Od. 24.417, E. Fr. 176.4; also νέκυας Il. 7.418, al.:—A. corpse, freq. in Il., less freq. in Od.; in Il. 4.492,493, νέκυς and νεκρός are used of the same dead person; ν. ἀνδρός Hdt. 1.140, cf. 3.16, 24, S. Ant. 26, E. Or. 1585; ν. τεθνηώς, κατατεθνηώς, Il. 18.173, 16.526; νέκυες κατατεθνηῶτες, κτάμενοι, καταφθίμενοι, Od. 10.530, 23.45, 11.491; ἀνδρὸς Πέρσεω ὁ ν. Hdt. 1.140, cf.3.16; ὁ κατθανὼν ν. S. Ant. 515; dead person, νεκύων σώματα E. Supp. 62 (lyr.). 2. in pl., spirits of the dead, freq. in Od. 11, less freq. in Il.; νεκύων ἀμενηνὰ κάρηνα Od. 11.29, cf.Il. 15.251; πεδʼ ἀμαύρων ν. Sapph. 68. II. as Adj. dead, post-Hom., ἐχθρὸν ὧδʼ αἰδῇ νέκυν; S. Aj. 1356; κίχλαι αἱ νέκυες AP 11.96 (Nicarch.); cf. however Il. 24.35,423.—Poet. word, used also by Hdt., in IG 22.1672.119 (iv B.C.), in Cretan, Kohler-Ziebarth Stadtrecht von Gortyn p.35, and in late Prose, Plu. Crass. 19, Hdn. 4.8.5. [ῡ of nom. and acc. sg. in Hom., Il. 4.492, 22.386, etc.; ῠ Simon. 114.5, E. Supp. 70 (lyr.), Or. 1585, and in later Poets, A.R. 4.480, Bion 1.71, AP 7.1 (Alc. Mess.).] (Cf. Avest. nasu- ‘corpse’, Skt. náśyati ‘perish’, ‘disappear’, Lat. necare.)
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