χείρων

English (LSJ)

ὁ, ἡ, neut. χεῖρον, gen. -ονος, acc. -ονα: nom. and acc. pl. χείρονες, -ας, χείρονα, contr. in Att. Prose χείρους, χείρω; dat. χείροσι, poet.

   A χειρόνεσσι Pi.N.8.22:—(for Ep. form χερείων, poet. χειρότερος, χερειότερος, v. sub vocc.):—irreg. Comp. of κακός: (χείρων from *χερ-yων, cf. χερείων):    I of persons, mcaner, inferior, either in bodily strength and bravery, or in rank, opp. ἀρείων, Il.10.238, Od.20.133; σὺ μὲν ἐσθλὸς ἐγὼ δὲ σέθεν πολὺ χείρων Il.20.434; τοῦ γένετ' ἐκ πατρὸς πολὺ χείρονος υἱὸς ἀμείνων 15.641, cf. Od.20.82; ἦ πολὺ χείρονες ἄνδρες ἀμύμονος ἀνδρὸς ἄκοιτιν μνῶνται 21.325; opp. κρείσσων, Pi.I.4(3).34(52); τὸν ὄλβιον τόν τε χ. E.Ba.422 (lyr.); τὰ χείρονα S.Fr.192, E.Supp.196.    2 later in moral sense, worse than others, sts. almost like a positive, knave, opp. ἀγαθός, S.Ph.456, cf. Th.3.9, Lys.16.3; οἱ πένητες καὶ οἱ δημόται καὶ οἱ χ. X.Ath.1.4, cf. 3.10; οἱ χ., opp. οἱ ἀγαθοί, Pl.R.460c, etc.    b χ. βίος, opp. ἀμείνων, ib.618d; γνώμη X.Cyr.8.8.7.    3 worse in quality, inferior, of horses, Il.23.572: inferior, less skilful, ἰητροί Hp.Acut.6; ζωγράφοι, δημιουργοί, etc., Pl.Cra.429a, R.421e, etc.: χ. εἰς σοφίαν, εἰς τὴν ἀρετήν, Id.Tht.162c, R.335b; πρὸς ἀλήθειαν Luc. JTr.48; c. acc., χ. τὰ πολεμικά X.Cyr.8.8.20; χ. τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν διάνοιαν, Aeschin.3.46. Isoc.11.43; τὰ ἄλλα μηδὲν χ. Id.4.105; c. inf., χ. ἡμῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖν X.Cyr.2.1.16; οὐδὲν χείρους ἔσεσθε . . ἀκηκοότες you will be none the worse for having heard... D.24.139; less kind, μὴ χ. περὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς εἶναι . . τῶν ὑπαρχόντων Id.2.2.    II of things, inferior in quality, ἄεθλον Il.23.413; ὑποδήματα X.Oec. 13.10; ὄνομα Pl.Cra.429b.    2 worse, harder, more severe, νόσος E.Andr.220; μοῖρα Pl.Phdr.248e; τιμωρία Ep.Hebr.10.29.    III neut.,    1 as a Subst., τὸ χ. inferiority, Polem.Call.27; but mostly in phrases with Preps., ἐπὶ τὸ χ. τρέπεσθαι, κλῖναι, fall off, get worse, X.Cyr.8.8.2, Mem.3.5.13; ἐπὶ τὸ χ. μεταβάλλει ἑαυτόν Pl.R. 381b; ἀλλοιοῦσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ χ., opp. ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον, Thphr.CP6.3.3; also πάντα ὑποπτεύοντες ἐπὶ τὸ χ. putting the worst construction on . . D.H.6.85; λαμβάνειν τι ἐπὶ τὸ χ. J.AJ16.7.4; also πρὸς τὸ χ. μεταβάλλειν D.S.20.57; κατὰ τὸ χ. Pl.Lg.720e; in the lower sense, opp. κατὰ τὸ κρεῖττον, Dam.Pr.7: less freq. in pl., ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ἰέναι X. Mem.3.9.9; τὰ χ. προαιρεῖσθαι Isoc.8.110.    2 as a predicate, ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ χ. (sc. ἐστί or ἔσται) Od.15.515, cf. X.An.7.6.4; with a neg., οὐ χ. [ἐστι] c. inf., we may as well, Pl.Phd.105a, Arist. EN1127a14; simply οὐ χεῖρον, in an answer, it is as well, Ar.Eq. 37; λάβ', ὦγάθ'· οὐδὲν χ. Clearch.Com.4.    3 as Adv., worse, χ. βουλεύσασθαι Th.3.46, cf. 6.89; χ. πρᾶξαι Id.7.67; βιῶναι, ζῆν, Pl. R.344e, 519d.    b in inferior degree, less, ἀγαπᾶν Id.Lg.928a; φυλακὰς χ. φυλαττομένας X.HG6.2.17, etc.    B Sup. χείριστος, η, ον, worst, Pl.Plt.303a, etc.; ὁ χ., opp. ὁ βέλτιστος, Lys.1.2; esp. οἱ χ. men of lowest degrce, X.Mem.1.2.32. Adv. χείριστα Arist.PA687a24, Metaph.1083b2 (dub. 1.); also -τως LXX 2 Ma.7.39.