γέρων
ἢ τοὺς πότους ἐρεῖς δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὰ δεῖπνα καὶ ἐσθῆτα καὶ ἀφροδίσια, καὶ δέδιας μὴ τούτων ἐνδεὴς γενόμενος ἀπόλωμαι. οὐκ ἐννοεῖς δὲ ὅτι τὸ μὴ διψῆν τοῦ πιεῖν πολὺ κάλλιον καὶ τὸ μὴ πεινῆν τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τὸ μὴ ῥιγοῦν τοῦ ἀμπεχόνης εὐπορεῖν; → There you'll go, talking of drinking and dining and dressing up and screwing, worrying I'll be lost without all that. Don't you realize how much better it is to have no thirst, than to drink? to have no hunger, than to eat? to not be cold, than to possess a wardrobe of finery? (Lucian, On Mourning 16)
English (LSJ)
οντος, ὁ,
A old man, Il.1.33, etc.: pleon., παλαιοὶ γέροντες Ar. Ach.676; ἄνους τε καὶ γ. S.Ant.281, cf. Ar.Eq.1349; ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡβᾷ τοῖς γέρουσιν εὖ μαθεῖν A.Ag.584; καλὸν δὲ καὶ γέροντα μανθάνειν σοφά Id.Fr.396. 2 γέροντες, οἱ, Elders, Chiefs, κίκλησκεν δὲ γέροντας ἀριστῆας Παναχαιῶν Il.2.404 sq., cf. 9.574, Od.2.14; later, Senators, esp. at Sparta, Hdt.1.65, 6.57, Pl.Lg.692a, IG22.687, Arist.Pol. 1265b38 (sg. γέροντι IG5(1).1346, but usu. γερουσίας, q. v.); in other states, as at Elis, Arist.Pol.1306a17, cf. 1272a7, OGI479.11 (Dorylaeum). II as Adj., old, γέρον σάκος Od.22.184; γ. γράμμα A.Fr. 331; more freq. in masc., γ. πατήρ Il.1.358, Od.18.53; ἀνὴρ γ. Thgn. 1351; γ. χαλκός Simon.144; γ. λόγος A.Ag.750 (lyr.); ἵππος S.El. 25; πόνος Id.OC1258 (codd. but πίνος Scaliger, edd.); οἶνος Alex. 167.5, cf. Eub.124; πέπλος, λέμβος, Theoc.7.17, 21.12: rarely in Prose, οἱ γέροντες τῶν ἰχθύων Arist.HA607b28; of stags, ib.611b3; Ἀντίγονος ὁ γ. Antigonus the Elder, Plu.Pel.2: neut. pl., γέροντα βουλεύεις (for ἀρχαῖα) S.Fr.794. III part of the spinning-wheel, Pherecr.114. (Skt. járant- 'old', járati 'render infirm'; cf. γέρας.)
