ἀρχή

ἀρχή, ἡ, (v. ἄρχω)

A beginning, origin,

νείκεος ἀ. Il.22.116

;

πήματος Od.8.81

;

φόνου 21.4

, etc.; opp. τέλος, Hdt.7.51, etc.; opp. τελευτή, Thgn.607, cf. Pl.Lg.715e, Hp.Morb.1.1;

ἀ. γενέσθαι κακῶν Hdt.5.97

;

ἀ. ποιήσασθαί τινος Th.1.128

, And.2.37, Isoc.12.120, etc.;

ἀ. λαβεῖν τινός Aeschin.1.11

;

τὰς ἀρχὰς εἰληφέναι Plb.4.28.3

; ἀρχὴν ὑποθέσθαι lay a foundation, D.3.2, etc.;

βαλέσθαι Pl.Ep.326e

(and [voice] Pass.,

ἀρχαὶ βέβληνται Pi.N.1.8

);

ἀρχὴν ἄρχεσθαί τινος Pl.Ti.36e

; source of action, [

ὁ ἄνθρωπος] ἔχει ἀρχὴν ἐλευθέραν Plot.3.3.4

.

b with Preps. in adverbial usages, ἐξ ἀρχῆς from the beginning, from the first, from of old, Od.1.188, Xenoph.10, etc.;

οὑξ ἀ. φίλος S.OT385

;

ἡ ἐξ ἀ. ἔχθρα D.54.3

;

τὸ ἐξ ἀ. X.Cyn.12.6

; but

πλουτεῖν ἐξ ἀ. πάλιν

anew, afresh,

Ar.Pl.221

;

λόγον πάλιν ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀ. κινεῖν Pl.R.450a

; ὁ ἐξ ἀ. λόγος the original argument, Id.Tht.177c, etc.; τὰ ἐξ ἀ. the principal sum, Arist.Pol.1280a30:—also

ἀπ' ἀ. Hes.Th.425

, Hdt.2.104, Pi.P.8.25, A.Supp.344, Pl.Tht.206d; κατ' ἀρχάς in the beginning, at first, Hdt.3.153, 7.5;

αὐτίκα κατ' ἀ. Id.8.94

;

τὸ κατ' ἀ. Pl. Lg.798a

, al.

c acc. ἀρχήν, abs., to begin with, at first, Hdt. 1.9, 2.28, 8.132;

τὴν ἀρχήν And.3.20

: pl.,

τὰς ἀρχάς Plb.16.22.8

: freq. followed by a neg., not at all,

ἀρχὴν μηδὲ λαβών Hdt.3.39

, cf. 1.193, al.;

ἀ. δὲ θηρᾶν οὐ πρέπει τἀμήχανα S.Ant.92

;

ἀ. κλύειν ἂν οὐκ . . ἐβουλόμην Id.Ph.1239

, cf. El.439, Philol.3, Antipho5.73, Pl. Grg.478c; sts. c. Art.,

τοῦτο οὐκ ἐνδέκομαι τὴν ἀ. Hdt.4.25

;

τὴν ἀ. γὰρ ἐξῆν αὐτῷ μὴ γράφειν D.23.93

.

2 first principle, element, first so used by Anaximander, acc. to Simp. in Ph.150.23, cf. Arist. Metaph.983b11, etc.;

Ἡράκλειτος τὴν ἀ. εἶναί φησι ψυχήν Id.de An.405a25

; of ὕλη and θεός, opp. στοιχεῖα, Placit.1.3.25; practical principle of conduct,

τῶν πράξεων τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποθέσεις D. 2.10

; principles of knowledge, Arist.Metaph.995b8, al.

3 end, corner, of a bandage, rope, sheet, etc., Hdt.4.60, Hp.Off.9, E.Hipp. 762, Aen.Tact.18.14, Act.Ap.10.11; of a compound pulley, Hero Bel.84.14.

4 Math., origin of a curve,

τῆς ἕλικος Archim.Spir. 11

Def.2, etc.;

ξυνὸν ἀ. καὶ πέρας ἐπὶ κύκλου περιφερείας Heraclit. 103

.

5 branch of a river, LXX Ge.2.10 (pl.).

6 sum, total, ib.Nu.1.2.

7 vital organs of the body, Gal.1.318, al.

II first place or power, sovereignty (not in Hom.),

Διὸς ἀρχά Pi.O.2.64

, cf. Hdt.1.6, etc.;

γενέσθαι ἐπ' ἀρχῆς Arist.Pol.1284b2

: metaph., μεγάλην μεντἂν ἀ. εἴης εὑρηκώς, of a stroke of fortune, D.21.196: pl.,

ἀρχαὶ πολισσονόμοι A.Ch.864

(lyr.);

τὰς ἐμὰς ἀρχὰς σέβων S.Ant.744

, etc.: c. gen. rei,

τῆσδ' ἔχων ἀρχὴν χθονός S.OT737

; ἀ. τῶν νεῶν, τῆς θαλάσσης, power over them, Th.3.90, X.Ath.2.7, etc.: prov., ἀ. ἄνδρα δείξει Biasap.Arist.EN1130a1, cf. D.Prooem.48; method of government,

οὐδὲ τὴν ἄλλην ἀ. ἐπαχθής Th.6.54

.

2 empire, realm, Κύρου, Περδίκκου ἀ., Hdt.1.91, Th.4.128, etc.

3 magistracy, office, ἀρχὴν ἄρχειν, παραλαμβάνειν, Hdt.3.80, 4.147;

καταστήσας τὰς ἀ. καὶ ἄρχοντας ἐπιστήσας Id.3.89

; εἰς ἀ. καθίστασθαι Th.8.70; εἰς τὴν ἀ. εἰσιέναι D.59.72, etc.; ἀ. λαχεῖν to obtain an office, Id.57.25;

Ἑλληνοταμίαι τότε πρῶτον κατέστη ἀ. Th.1.96

;

ἐνιαύσιος ἀ. Id.6.54

; ἀ. χειροτονητή, κληρωτή, Lex ap.Aeschin.1.21; withsg. Noun,

Κυθηροδίκης ἀ. ἐκ τῆς Σπάρτης διέβαινεν αὐτόσε Th.4.53

; term of office,

ἀρχῆς λοιποὶ αὐτῷ δύο μῆνες Antipho6.42

;

ἀρχαὶ καὶ λειτουργίαι POxy.119.16

(iii A.D.).

4 in pl.,

αἱ ἀρχαί

the authorities, the magistrates,

Th.5.47

, cf. Decr. ap. And.1.83; ἐν ταῖς ἀ. εἶναι Th.6.54; ἡ ἀρχή collectively, 'the board', D.47.22, cf. IG1.229, etc.;

παραδιδόναι τινὰ τῇ ἀ. Antipho5.48

; but ἡ ἀ., of a single magistrate, PHal.1.226 (iii B.C.); κατ' ἀρχῆς γὰρ φιλαίτιος λεώς against authority, A.Supp.485;

πομποὺς ἀρχάς Id.Ag.124

(anap.).

5 command, i.e. body of troops, LXX 1 Ki.13.17, al.

6 pl., heavenly powers, Ep.Rom.8.38, al., cf. Dam. Pr.96; powers of evil, Ep.Eph.6.12, al.

III = εἶδος μελίσσης ἀκέντρου, Hsch.