ἔργον
Alt. ἔργον, ου, τό,
Etym. Ε῎ργω
I. "work", Hom., etc.; τὰ σαυτῆς ἔργα κόμιζε mind your own "business", Hom.:
1. in Il. mostly of "deeds" of war, πολεμήϊα ἔργα Il., etc.; so, ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ during the "action", Thuc.; ἔργου ἔχεσθαι to engage in "battle", id=Thuc.
2. of "works of industry, tilled lands, fields, farms", Hom.; οὔτε βοῶν οὔτ᾽ ἀνδρῶν ἔργα (cf. Virgil's "hominumque boumque labores)", Il.; ἔργα Ἰθάκης "the tilled lands" of Ithaca, Od.; so in attic, τὰ κατ᾽ ἀγροὺς ἔργα, etc.:—then, generally, "property, wealth, possessions", ἔργον ἀέξειν Od.
b. "of women's work, weaving", Hom.
c. of other "occupations", θαλάσσια ἔργα "fishing", as a way of life, Od.; periphr., ἔργα δαιτός "works" of feasting, Il.; so, ἔργα θήρας, etc. Xen., etc.:—in attic also of all kinds of works, such as "mines", iron- "works", id=Il., Dem.
3. "a hard piece of work, a hard task", Il.: also, a shocking "deed or act", Lat. facinus, Od.:— also, χερμάδιον λάβε Τυδείδης, μέγα ἔργον a huge "mass", Il.
4. "a deed, action", often, as opp. to ἔπος, "deed, not word", Hom.
II. "a thing, matter", πᾶν ἔργον in every "point", Il.; ἄκουε τοὔργον Soph., etc.
III. Pass. "that which is wrought, a work", of the arms of Achilles, Il.; metal-work is called ἔργον Ἡφαίστοιο Od., etc.
2. "the result of work", ἔργον χρημάτων "profit" on money, Dem.
IV. the following pecul. attic phrases arise from signf. I:
1. ἔργον ἐστί,
a. c. gen. pers. "his business, his proper work", ἔργον ἀγαθοῦ πολίτου Plat.; so, σὸν ἔργον ἐστί it is your "business", Aesch.
b. c. gen. rei, "there is need of, use of" a thing, Eur.
c. c. inf. "it is hard work, difficult" to do, πολὺ ἔργον ἂν εἴη διεξελθεῖν Xen., etc.; οὐκ ἔργον θρηνεῖσθαι 'tis no "use" to lament, Soph.
2. ἔργα παρέχειν τινί to give one "trouble", Ar.; ἔργον ἔχειν to take "trouble", Xen.