νήπιος

νήπῐος, α (Sor.1.7, al.), [dialect] Ion. η, ον, also ος, ον Lyc.638:—

A infant, child, freq. in Hom.,

νήπιον, οὔ πω εἰδόθ' ὁμοιίου πολέμοιο Il.9.440

;

νήπια τέκνα 2.136

, etc.;

βρέφος ἔτ' ὄντα ν. E.Ion1399

, cf. Andr.755, etc.;

νηπίους ἔτι Id.Heracl.956

;

τὸ ν. Pl.Ax.366d

;

ἁρμόττουσα τοῖς ν. [πλαταγή] Arist.Pol.1340b30

; ἐκ νηπίου from a child, from infancy,

[τὸ ἡδὺ] ἐκ ν. ἡμῖν συντέθραπται Id.EN1105a2

;

ἐκ νηπίων Plb.4.20.8

;

ἐκ ν. ἡλικίας PFlor.36.5

(iv A.D.); infant in law, minor,

ἐφ' ὅσον ὁ κληρονόμος ν. ἐστιν Ep.Gal.4.1

; of children up to puberty,

αἱ τῶν ν. ἐκλάμψιες Hp.Epid.6.1.4

(cf. Herophil. ap. Gal.17(1).826); but of the foetus in its early stage, Hp.Aph.4.1 (cf. Gal.17(1).653).

2 less freq. of animals, Il.2.311, 11.113; νήπια alone, the young of an animal, 17.134.

3 of plants, Thphr.HP8.1.7.

II metaph.,

1 of the understanding, childish, silly, Od.13.237;

μέγα ν. Il.16.46

, cf. Od.9.44; simply, without foresight, blind, Il.22.445;

ἀνὴρ ν. Heraclit.79

, cf. Emp.11.1, Pi.P.3.82, A.Pr.443, Democr.76, etc.;

ν. ὃς . . γονέων ἐπιλάθεται S.El.145

(lyr.); οὔτε πρὶν νήπιον, νῦν τ' . . μέγαν no child before and now full-grown (i.e. in mind), Id.OT 652 (lyr.); of words,

νήπια βάζεις Pi.Fr.157

;

ἀντιτείνειν νήπι' ἀντὶ νηπίων E.Med.891

;

μηδὲν εἴπῃς ν. Ar.Nu.105

.

2 of bodily strength, like that of a child,

βίη δέ τε ν. αὐτῶν Il.11.561

.