νήπιος

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

• infant, child, freq. in Hom., νήπιον, οὔ πω εἰδόθʼ ὁμοιίου πολέμοιο Il. 9.440; νήπια τέκνα 2.136, etc.; βρέφος ἔτʼ ὄντα ν. E. Ion 1399, 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. EN 1105a2; ἐκ νηπίων Plb. 4.20.8; ἐκ ν. ἡλικίας PFlor. 36.5 (iv A.D.); infant in law, minor, ἐφʼ 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. HP 8.1.7.
  • 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 τʼ . . μέγαν no child before and now full-grown (i.e. in mind), Id. OT 652 (lyr.); of words, νήπια βάζεις Pi. Fr. 157; ἀντιτείνειν νήπιʼ 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.

νήπιος, att. auch 2 Endgn (νη–, ἔπος, εἰπεῖν) eigentlich vom ersten Kindesalter, wie infans, vom Kinde, das noch nicht sprechen kann, unmündig, νήπια τέκνα, Il. 2.136, öfter ; aber auch weiter hinausgehend, νήπιον, οὔπω εἰδόθʼ ὁμοιΐου πολέμοιο, 9.440 ; selten von jungen Tieren, νήπια τέκνα, 2.311, 11.113 ; auch νήπια allein, die Jungen, 17.134. Dah. βία νηπίη, die schwache Kraft des Kindes, Il. 11.561. – Häufig übertr. auf den Verstand, kindisch, unerfahren, töricht, μέγα νήπιος, 16.46, Od. 9.44, öfter bei Hes.; ahnungslos, der Zukunft unkundig, Il. 22.445 ; νήπια βάζεις, auch Pind. frg. 128 ; νήπιοι, P. 3.82 ; νηπίους ὄντας τὸ πρὶν ἔννους ἔθηκα, Aesch. Prom. 441 ; vgl. Soph. O.R. 652, El. 142 ; αἴσθημά τι κἀν νηπίοις γε τῶν κακῶν ἐγγίγνεται, Eur. I.A. 1244, vgl. Med. 891 ; νήπιον εἰπεῖν τι, Ar. Nub. 106 ; νηπίου δίκην, νηπίων φόβητρα, Plat. Ax. 365c, 367a ; und bei Sp., ὡς παιδίῳ νηπίῳ χρήσασθαί τινι, Pol. 5.29.2 ; ἐκ νηπίων, von Jugend auf, 4.20.8 ; Luc. Halc. 5.

νήπιος

-η, -ον.

• • 1

    Young, of tender years : τέκνα Il. 2.136. Cf. Il. 4.238, Il. 5.480, Il. 6.400, Il. 9.440, Il. 16.8, etc. : Od. 2.313, Od. 4.818, Od. 6.301, Od. 11.449, Od. 19.530, etc.

    In reference to the young of a bird or animal Il. 2.311, Il. 11.113.

    Absol. in neut. pl. νήπια, the young of an animal: λέων, ᾧ νἡπιʼ ἄγοντι . . . Il. 17.134.

  • 2

    Such as a child’s is, feeble : βίη νηπίη [ἐστίν] Il. 11.561.

  • 3

    Childish, foolish, thoughtless, senseless, credulous : φῆ αἱρήσειν πόλιν, ν. Il. 2.38. Cf. Il. 2.873, Il. 5.406, Il. 7.401, Il. 16.46, Il. 18.311, Il. 22.445 (fond heart), etc. : Od. 1.8, Od. 3.146, Od. 4.31, Od. 9.44, Od. 21.85, etc.

    In voc. νήπιε Il. 16.833, Il. 18.295, Il. 21.99, Il. 22.333.

    Absol. in masc., a fool : ῥεχθὲν ν. ἔγνω Il. 17.32 = Il. 20.198.

    In neut. pl., foolish things, folly : νήπια βάζεις Od. 4.32.

νήπῐος

• 1foolish τὰ μὲν ὦν οὐ δύνανται νήπιοι κόσμῳ φέρειν P. 3.82 “ὦ τάλας ἐφάμερε, νήπια βάζεις” (Kuster: νήπιε codd.) fr. 157.

νήπιος : epith. of little children or young animals, ‘infant,’ ‘helpless,’ νήπια τέκνα, Il. 9.440, Il. 2.311, Il. 11.113; often fig., indicating the blind unconsciousness on the part of men that suggests an analogy between the relation of men to higher powers and that of infants to adults, ‘helpless,’ ‘unwitting,’ and sometimes disparagingly, ‘simple,’ ‘childish,’ Il. 11.561, Il. 22.445.

νήπιος νη-, ἔπος

• • Inot yet speaking, Lat. infans, Hom.; νήπια τέκνα, βρέφος ν. Eur.:—also νήπια young animals, Il.
  • IImetaph. like a child, childish, silly, Hom., Hes.; without forethought, Hom., Aesch.