ὀκνέω

ὀκν-έω, [dialect] Ep. [full] ὀκνείω Il.5.255 : [tense] impf.

A

ὤκνεον 20.155

: [tense] fut.

-ήσω Isoc.6.72

: [tense] aor.

ὤκνησα D.18.103

, etc. : ([etym.] ὄκνος) :—shrink from doing, scruple, hesitate to do a thing, c. inf.,

ὀκνείω ἵππων ἐπιβαινέμεν Il.5.255

;

ἀρχέμεναι πολέμοιο ὤκνεον 20.155

.—In [dialect] 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.