θήρα

θήρα, Ion. θήρη, ἡ, A. hunting of wild beasts, the chase, βάν ῥʼ ἴμεν ἐς θήρην Od. 19.429; αἵμονα θήρης Il. 5.49; ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὴν θήρην Hdt. 1.37, 4.114, cf. Ar. Fr. 2 D.; ζῶσι ἀπὸ θ. Hdt. 4.22, cf. Arist. Pol. 1256a35; ἐποίησε μεγάλην θήραν X. Cyr. 1.4.14; θ. ποιεῖσθαι Arist. HA 541a20; τὰς θ. τῶν ὀρτύγων ἐποιοῦντο D.S. 1.60; τοῦ πτηνοῦ γένους θ., = ὀρνιθευτική, Pl. Sph. 220b; ἡ περὶ θάλατταν θ. fishing, Id. Lg. 823d; κυνηγεσία καὶ ἡ ἄλλη θ. ib.763b: pl., πέρδικες εἰς τὰς θ. ἀγόμεναι, of decoy birds, Arist. GA 751a14, cf. Phld. Ir.p.42 W., Ant.Lib. 41.2. b. in Ptolemaic Egypt, στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τὴν θ. τῶν ἐλεφάντων OGI 82, 86 (iii B.C.), cf. Str. 16.4.5,7, Wilcken Chr. 385.14 (iii B.C.), PPetr. 3p.292 (iii B.C.), etc. 2. metaph., eager pursuit of anything, θήραν . . ἔχομεν τόξων, = θηρῶμεν τὰ τόξα, S. Ph. 840; δυσμενῶν θήραν ἔχειν Id. Aj. 564; θ. ἀνθρώπων Pl. Sph. 222b, 222c; τοῦ ἡδέος Id. Grg. 500d; ἐπιστημῶν Id. Tht. 198a, etc. II. prey, game, αἶψα δʼ ἔδωκε θεὸς μενοεικέα θήρην Od. 9.158, cf. A. Ch. 251, E. Ba. 1144; πρὶν κινεῖσθαι τὴν θ. X. Cyr. 2.4.25; θήραν καλήν, of a prisoner, S. Ph. 609: in pl., ὦ πταναὶ θῆραι, of birds, ib.1146 (lyr.); τὴν θ. ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου τηροῦσα watching its prey, of a spider, Arist. HA 623a13. III. hunting-ground, preserve, Ἁδριανοῦ θῆραι D.C. 69.10. IV. in Roman times, the games of the Circus, Epigr.Gr. 351.3 (Nicaea).