χραισμέω

A. χραισμήσει Il. 20.296, Ep. inf. ‐ησέμεν 21.316: aor. 1 Ep. 3 sg. χραίσμησε 16.837; inf. χραισμῆσαι 11.120: used by Hom. most freq. in aor. 2, 3 sg. ἔχραισμε 14.66, Ep. χραῖσμε 5.53, 7.144; subj. 3 sg. χραίσμῃ, χραίσμῃσι, 1.28, 11.387; 3 pl. χραίσμωσι 1.566; inf. χραισμεῖν ib.242, al.:—prop. ward off something destructive from one, c. acc. rei et dat. pers., οὐ κορύνη οἱ ὄλεθρον χραῖσμε σιδηρείη Il. 7.144; οὐδέ τί οἱ χραισμήσει λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον 20.296; τοῖς οὔ τις δύνατο χραισμῆσαι ὄλεθρον Τρώων 11.120: once c. acc. pers. (supplied), μή νύ τοι οὐ χραίσμωσιν [με] ἆσσον ἰόνθ’ keep [me] off from you, 1.566.

2. more freq. c. dat. pers. only, defend, succour (though the notion of warding off injury is always implied), freq. in Il. 1.28, 5.53, al.: c. neut. Adj., χραισμεῖν τι assist, avail at all, 1.242, 21.193, al.; abs., 14.66, 15.652.—Hom. uses χραισμεῖν with negs. expressed or implied (in Il. 21.193, εἰ δύναταί τι χραισμεῖν is ironical for οὔτι χ. δύναται), cf. 15.32. In positive clauses first in A.R. 2.249, al.; imper. χραίσμετε Id. 2.218. (Said by A.R. 2.218 to belong to the dialect of the Clitorians in Arcadia.)