παίγνιον

English (LSJ)

τό,

   A plaything, toy, ἄνθρωπον θεοῦ τι παίγνιον εἶναι Pl.Lg.803c, cf. Plt.288c; τύχης π. Secund.Sent.7; πλοῖον ἀνέμων π. ib.17; οἷον π. φεῦγον, of Matter because of its instability, Plot.3.6.7: in pl., Pl.Lg.797b, etc.; dainties, Ephipp. 24.    2 of persons, darling, pet, Anaxandr.9.3: also in pl. (of one person), Ar.Ec.922, Plu.Ant.59.    II in Theoc.15.50, the Egyptians are called κακὰ παίγνια, roguish cheats,—unless here it be acc. cogn. (dirty tricks) after παίζω.    III game, Κουρήτων ἐνόπλια π. Pl. Lg.796b: metaph., child's play, of an easy task, Euphro 1.35.    2 comic performance, Pl.Lg.816e, Ephipp.7, Suet.Aug.99.    3 light poem, AP6.322 (Leon.), Plb.16.21.12; Ὁμήρου, Κράτητος π., Jul.Or. 2.60d, 6.199d; title of poems by Philetas, Stob.2.4.5, al.; applied to those of Theocritus, Ael.NA15.19: metaph., of the merry chirp of the cicada, AP7.196.6 (Mel.).    4 of a prose trifle, Gorg.Hel. 21.    5 Δημοκρίτου παίγνια jocular recipes, PMag.Lond.121.167.

German (Pape)

[Seite 438] τό, Spiel, Scherz, Luc. asin. 47; eigtl. was zum Spiel dient, Spielwerk, Plat. Polit. 288 c; ἄνθρωπον θεοῦ τι παίγνιον εἶναι μεμηχανημένον, Legg. VII, 803 c; der σπουδῇ τινι entgeggstzt, I, 644 d; bei Ar. Eccl. 921 nennt die Alte den Jüngling τἀμὰ παίγνια, = deliciae; Plut. Anton. 59; – Scherz- und Spottgedichte, τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ᾀδόμενα παίγνια κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, Pol. 16, 21, 12; übh. kleinere, leichte Gedichte, Liebesgedichte, Anth. öfter; Θεόκριτος ὁ τῶν νομευτικῶν παιγνίων συνθέτης, Ael. H. A. 15, 19; – Theocr. 15, 50 nennt die Aegyptier κακὰ παίγνια, arge Schelme, als betrügerisch u. tückisch.