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σπέρμ-α , ατος, τό, (σπείρω)
A.seed, only once in Hom., in metaph. sense, v. infr. 1.2:
I. mostly, seed of plants, ς. ἀνιέναι, κρύπτειν, h.Cer.307, cf. Hdt.3.97: pl., Hes.Op.446; ς. τῇ γῇ διδόναι, ἐμβαλεῖν, X.Oec.17.8, 10: prov., “εἰς πέλαγος ς. βαλεῖν” Epigr.Gr.1038.8 (Pamphylia); of fruit, Antiph.58.4; τοῖς γαίης σπέρμασι with the products of earth, of corn-stalks, AP9.89 (Phil.).
2. metaph., germ, origin of anything, “ς. πυρός” Od.5.490; “φλογός” Pi.O.7.48, cf. P.3.37; σπέρματα, = στοιχεῖα, elements, Anaxag.4, cf. Epicur.Ep.2p.38 U., Fr.250; “ὁ τὸ σπέρμα παρασχών, οὗτος τῶν φύντων αἴτιος” D.18.159; “συκοφάντου ς. καὶ ῥίζαν οἴεται δεῖν ὑπάρχειν τῇ πόλει” Id.25.48; “ς. τῆς στάσεως” Plu. Mar.10; “τοῦ ὅρκου” Longin.16.3.
3. seed-time, sowing, Hes.Op. 781.
II. of animals, seed, semen, φέροισα ς. θεοῦ pregnant by the god, Pi.P.3.15; but ς. φέρειν Ἡρακλέους to be pregnant of Heracles, Id.N.10.17; “μυελὸν . . εἰς ς. καὶ γόνον μερίζεσθαι” Ti.Locr.100b, cf. Pl. Ti.86c; “ς. παραλαβεῖν” E.Or.553; “σπέρματος πλῆσαι” Plu.Lyc. 15: pl., “κατ᾽ ἀμφότερα τὰ ς. θεῶν ἀπόγονος” Hp.Ep.2.
2. race, origin, descent, “τοὐμὸν . . σπέρμ᾽ ἰδεῖν βουλήσομαι” S.OT1077; τίνος εἶ σπέρματος πατρόθεν; Id.OC214 (lyr.); “γένεθλον σπέρμα τ᾽ Ἀργεῖον” A.Supp. 290, cf. Ch.236; “ς. ἄντασ᾽ Ἐρεχθειδᾶν” S.Ant.981 (lyr.), cf. Pi.O.7.93, etc.
3. freq. in Poets, seed, offspring, τὸ βρότειον ς. A.Fr.399; “ς. Πελοπιδῶν” Id.Ch.503; ς. [τοῦ Ἀβραάμ] Ev.Luc.1.55, etc.; sts. of a single person, Pi.O.9.61, A.Pr.705, S.Ph.364, Orac. ap. Th.5.16, LXX Ge.4.25, etc.: pl., A.Eu.803,909, S.OT1246, OC600, Ep.Gal.3.16; once in Pl., “ἀνθρώπων σπέρμασι νουθετοῦμεν” Lg.853c.
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (31):
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