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χρεία

chreia

need, want

Appears 67 times across Plato's dialogues.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

χρεία (written χρέα PCair.Zen. 25.2,148 (iii B. C.)), Ion. χρείη Call. in PSI 11.1216.43, ἡ: (χράομαι, κέχρημαι):—A. need, want, χρείας ὕπο A. Th. 287; ἵνʼ ἕσταμεν χρείας considering in what great need we are, S. OT 1443; χρείᾳ πολεμεῖν to war with necessity, Id. OC 191 (anap.): c. gen., want of . . , φαρμάκων χρείᾳ κατεσκέλλοντο A. Pr. 481; ἐν χρείᾳ τύχης Id. Th. 506; ἐν χρείᾳ δορός in the need or stress of war, S. Aj. 963; φορβῆς χρείᾳ Id. Ph. 162 (anap.), cf. 1004: ἵππων ἡμῖν χρεία μὲν οὔτε τις πολλῶν οὔτε πολλή [ἐστιν] Pl. Lg. 834b; ἦ μὴν ἔτʼ ἐμοῦ χρείαν ἕξει will have need of my help, A. Pr. 170 (anap.), cf. Call.l.c.; ἀφίκοντο εἰς χρείαν τῆς πόλεως came to feel the need of its assistance, Pl. Mx. 244d; ἰατρῶν ἐν χρείαις ἐσόμεθα, ἐν χρείᾳ ἡγεμόνος εἶναι, Pl. R. 373d, 566e; ὅτου σε χ. ἔχει S. Ph. 646; so τίς χ. σʼ ἐμοῦ [ἔχει]; E. Hec. 976, cf. χρεώ I.2: χρείαν ἔχω, c. inf., Ev.Matt. 3.14 (folld. by (ίνα, Ev.Jo. 2.25); signfs. I.1 and III in the same sentence, οὐχ οὕτως χ. ἔχομεν τῆς χ. παρὰ τῶν φίλων ὡς . . Epicur. Sent.Vat. 34: prov., χ. διδάσκει, κἂν βραδύς τις ᾖ, σοφόν ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, E. Fr. 715, cf.El. 376, Men. 263: pl., αἱ χρεῖαι τολμᾶν βιάζονται Antipho 3.2.1; αἱ τοῦ σώματος χ. X. Mem. 3.12.5; πρώτη γε καὶ μεγίστη τῶν χ. ἡ τῆς τροφῆς παρασκευή Pl. R. 369d; αἱ ἀναγκαῖαι χ. D. 23.148, cf. 45.67 (sg.); πολεμικαὶ χ. Arist. Pol. 1328b11. 2. want, poverty, S. Ph. 175 (lyr.), E. Hel. 420, etc.; διὰ τὴν χ. καὶ τὴν πενίαν Ar. Pl. 534 (anap.). 3. a request of necessity, opp. ἀξίωσις (a claim of merit), Th. 1.37, cf. 33: generally, request, τὴν πρίν γε χ. ἠνύσασθʼ ἐμοῦ πάρα A. Pr. 700; κἀγὼ . . τοιάνδε σου χ. ἔχω make such a request of or to thee, Id. Ch. 481. II. business, ὡς πρὸς τί χρείας; for what purpose? S. OT 1174, cf. 1435; χρῆσθαί τινι χρείαν ἣν ἂν ἐθέλωσι Pl. Lg. 868b; δοῦναι ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν χ. Plb. 8.16.11. b. esp. military or naval service, ἡ πολεμικὴ χ. καὶ ἡ εἰρηνική the employments of war and of peace, Arist. Pol. 1254b32; αἱ κατὰ θάλατταν [χ.], ἡ ἐν τῇ γῇ χ., Plb. 6.52.1, 31.21.3; οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν χ. Aristeas 110, LXX 1 Ma. 12.45; οἱ πρὸς ταῖς χ. Ju. 12.10; οἱ ἐπὶ χρειῶν τεταγμένοι BGU 543.1 (i B. C.); in military sense, action, engagement, αἱ κατὰ μέρος χ. Plb. 1.84.7, al. c. generally, business, employment, function, Id. 3.45.2, etc.; ἡ ἐγκεχειρισμένη χ. the duty assigned, PTeb. 741.11 (ii B. C.); οὓς καταστήσομεν ἐπὶ τῆς χ. ταύτης Act.Ap. 6.3; χ. πολιτικαί Plu. Mar. 32, etc. d. a business, affair, matter, like χρέος, Plb. 2.49.9, al.; τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων χ. the study of these things, Epicur. Ep. 1p.29U. e. χ. ἀναγκαία need of nature, D.S. 4.33; τροφῆς χ. Ph. 2.472. III. use, 1. as a property, use, advantage, service, χρείης εἵνεκα μηδεμιῆς Thgn. 62; τῆς χ. τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποστερηθῆναι Antipho 3.3.4; ἡ χ. τῆς ῥητορικῆς Pl. Grg. 480a; πωλοῦντες τὴν τῆς ἰσχύος χ. Id. R. 371e; χρείαν ἔχειν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις to be of service to mankind, Id. Smp. 204c; τὰ οὐδὲν εἰς χρείαν things of no use or service, D. Prooem. 56.3; χρείαν ἔχει εἴς τι is of service towards . . , Sosip. 1.41; for S. OT 725, v. ἐρευνάω I: pl., χρεῖαι . . φίλων ἀνδρῶν services rendered by them, Pi. N. 8.42; χρείας παρέχεσθαι render services, Decr. ap. D. 18.84, IG 22.654.15, cf. Plb. 1.16.8 (sg.); ἵνα σοι τὰς χ. παρέσχωμαι (sic) PCair.Zen. 498 (iii B. C.); μεγάλην παρεῖχε χ. τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν Plb. 3.97.4; παρέχειν χ. to be serviceable, useful, Aristo Stoic. 1.79; ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριακόσια χρειῶν γένη παρέχον δένδρον Plu. 2.724e; χ. ναυτικαί equipments, Ael. VH 2.10. 2. as an action, using, use, κτῆσις καὶ χ. X. Mem. 2.4.1, Pl. R. 451c; ἐν χρείᾳ εἶναι in use, Id. Phd. 87c; κατὰ τὴν χ. for use, Id. R. 330c; πρὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην χ. X. Mem. 4.2.25; ἡ χ. τῶν λόγων the employment of words, Pl. Sph. 239d, cf. Plt. 272d: pl., λάμπει γὰρ ἐν χρείαισιν ὥσπερ . . χαλκός is made bright by constant use, S. Fr. 864. IV. of persons, familiarity, intimacy, τινος with one, Antipho 5.63: generally, any relation of business or intercourse, ἐν χρείᾳ τινὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους Pl. R. 372a; ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους χ. Arist. Rh. 1376b13; [Νικόμαχος] συνεβίω Ἀμυντᾳ . . ἰατροῦ καὶ φίλου χρείᾳ in the relationship, capacity, D.L. 5.1. V. Rhet., pregnant sentence, maxim, freq. illustrated by an anecdote, Sen.Ep. 33.7, Hermog. Prog. 3, Aphthon,Prog. 3, Theon Prog. 5, etc.: pl., title of works by Zeno (D.L. 6.91), Aristipp., etc.; by Macho, a collection of sayings of courtesans, Ath. 13.577d; ἡ τοῦ Κλεομένους χ. Plu. 2.218a; χρεῖαι καὶ ἱστορίαι ib.78f.
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