ὀκνέω

English (LSJ)

Ep. ὀκνείω Il.5.255 : impf.

   A ὤκνεον 20.155 : fut. -ήσω Isoc.6.72 : aor. ὤκνησα D.18.103, etc. : (ὄκνος) :—shrink from doing, scruple, hesitate to do a thing, c. inf., ὀκνείω ἵππων ἐπιβαινέμεν Il.5.255 ; ἀρχέμεναι πολέμοιο ὤκνεον 20.155.—In Att. mostly with collat. sense of the feeling which causes the hesitation, and so,    1 of shame or fear (in a moral sense), ὀκνῶ προδότης καλεῖσθαι I shrink from being called, fear to be called, S.Ph.93, cf. Th.5.61, Lys.Fr. 23 ; οἷα ἐγὼ ὀκνῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὀνομάσαι shrink from naming, hesitate to name, D.2.19, cf. Pl.Grg.462e ; τοσαῦθ' ὅσ' ὀκνήσαιμ' ἂν . . εἰπεῖν D.18.103, cf. 24.7, etc.    2 of pity, σὰς ὀκνῶ θρᾶξαι φρένας A.Pr.628, cf.S. El.1271.    3 most commonly of cowardice or indolence, μεμηνότ' ἄνδρα . . ὀκνεῖς ἰδεῖν Id.Aj.81, cf. Th.1.120, etc.—The Homeric constr. c. inf. continued most common (v. supr.): rarely c. acc., πῶς τὸ μητρὸς λέκτρον οὐκ ὀκνεῖν με δεῖ; S.OT976 ; ὃν μήτ' ὀκνεῖτε Id.OC731, cf. X.Cyr.2.2.21 ; ἂν ὀκνῇς τὸ μανθάνειν Philem.213.1 ; also ὀ. περί τινος X.Cyr.4.5.20 ; ὀ. μή . . Pl.Phdr.257c, X.An.2.3.9, D.1.18.    II freq. also abs., shrink, hesitate, hang back, Hdt.7.50, S.El.22,320, Antipho Soph.55, Luc.Prom.18, etc. ; of soldiers, Arist.Pol.1297b11.