θήρα

English (LSJ)

Ion. θήρη, ἡ,

   A hunting of wild beasts, the chase, βάν ῥ' 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.HA541a20; 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.GA751a14, cf. Phld.Ir.p.42 W., Ant.Lib.41.2.    b in Ptolemaic Egypt, στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τὴν θ. τῶν ἐλεφάντων OGI82, 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 δ' 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.HA623a13.    III hunting-ground, preserve, Ἁδριανοῦ θῆραι D.C.69.10.    IV in Roman times, the games of the Circus, Epigr.Gr.351.3 (Nicaea).