σθένος

A. strength, might, esp. bodily strength, freq. in Il., less freq. in Od.; κάρτεΐ τε σθένεΐ τε Il. 17.329; ἀλκῆς καὶ σθένεος ib. 499; χερσίν τε ποσίν τε καὶ σθένει 20.361; ποδῶν χειρῶν τε ς. Pi. N. 10.48; opp. φρήν, ib.1.26; γνῶμαι πλέον κρατοῦσιν ἢ σθένος χερῶν S. Fr. 939: c.inf., ἐν δὲ ς. ὦρσεν ἑκάστῳ . . πολεμίζειν strength to war, Il. 2.451; ς. ποιεῖν εὖ φερέγγυον A. Eu. 87; ς. ὥστε καθελεῖν E. Supp. 66 (lyr.): less freq. of the force of things, as of a stream, Il. 17.751; ς. ἀελίου Pi. P. 4.144; [ἄρουραι] σθένος ἔμαρψαν Id. N. 6.11: σθένει by force, S. OC 842 (lyr.), E. Ba. 953; λόγῳ τε καὶ σθένει both by right and might, S. OC 68; ὑπὸ σθένους E. Ba. 1127; παντὶ σθένει with all one's might, freq. in treaties, SIG 122.6, al., Foed. ap. Th. 5.23, Pl. Lg. 646a—the only phrase in which early prose writers use the word (cf. infr. 111); found in LXX Jb. 4.10, al.

2. later, generally, strength, might, power, moral as well as physical, ἀνάγκης A. Pr. 105; τῆς ἀληθείας S. OT 369; ἀγγέλων ς. their might or authority, A. Ch. 849: c. gen. obj., ἀγωνίας ς. strength for conflict, Pi. P. 5.113 (s.v.l., ‐ίαις Bgk.); εἰ ς. λάβοιμι if I should gain strength enough, S. El. 333, cf. 348, etc.

II. a force of men, Il. 18.274; ἐπελθὼν οὐκ ἐλάσσονι ς. S. Aj. 438: but in both places sense 1.1 is more prob.

2. metaph., quantity, profusion, ς. πλούτου Pi. I. 3.2; ὕδατος, νιφετοῦ, Id. O. 9.51, Fr. 107.11.

III. periphr., like βίη, ἴς, μένος, ς. Ἰδομενῆος, Ὠρίωνος, Ὠαρίωνος, etc., for Idomeneus, Orion, etc. themselves, Il. 13.248, 18.486, Hes. Op. 598, etc.; ς. ἵππων, ἵππιον, Id. Sc. 97, Pi. P. 2.12, etc.:—in Pl. Phdr. 267c, Χαλκηδονίου ς. is ironical.