περί
Perseus. "around, round about with gen., dat., and acc."
prep. with gen., dat., and acc.: Radical sense, "round about, all round", whereas ἀμφί properly means "on both sides."
A. WITH GENITIVE:
I. of Place, "round about, around", Lat. circum, Od.
2. "about, near", ἑσδόμεναι περὶ σεῖο Mosch.
II. Causal, to denote the object "about or for" which one does something:
1. with Verbs of fighting or contending, μάχεσθαι περὶ πτόλιος Il.; περὶ Πατρόκλοιο θανόντος id=Il.; so, τρέχειν περὶ ἑωυτοῦ, περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς Hdt.
2. "about, for, on account of", μερμηρίζειν περί τινος Il.; φροντίζειν περί τινος Hdt.
3. with Verbs of hearing, knowing, speaking, "about, concerning", Lat. circa, de, περὶ νόστου ἄκουσα Od., etc.
4. rather of the "motive", than the "object", περὶ ἔριδος μάρνασθαι to fight "for very" enmity, Il.; περὶ τῶνδε "for" these reasons, id=Il.
5. "about, as to, in reference to", οὕτως ἔσχε περὶ τοῦ πρήγματος τούτου Hdt.; so, τὰ περί τινος his "circumstances", Thuc.:—also without the Art., ἀριθμοῦ πέρι "as to" number, Hdt.
III. like Lat. prae, before, above, beyond, περὶ πάντων ἔμμεναι ἄλλων Il.; τετιμῆσθαι περὶ πάντων id=Il.; κρατερὸς περὶ πάντων Hom.: in this sense, divided from its gen., περὶ φρένας ἔμμεναι ἄλλων in understanding to be "beyond" them, Il.
IV. to denote "value", περὶ πολλοῦ ἐστὶν ἡμῖν it is "worth" much to us, Hdt.; περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαί τι to reckon a thing "for", i. e. "worth", much, Lat. magni facere, id=Hdt.; περὶ πλείστου ἡγεῖσθαι Thuc.
B. WITH DATIVE:
I. of Place, "round about, around", of close-fitting dresses, armour, etc., ἔνδυνε περὶ στήθεσσι χιτῶνα Il.; κνημῖδας περὶ κνήμῃσιν ἔθηκεν id=Il.; περὶ δ᾽ ἔγχεϊ.. καμεῖται will grow weary "by grasping" the spear, id=Il.; περὶ δουρὶ πεπαρμένος "spitted upon" it, "transfixed by" it, id=Il.; πεπτῶς περὶ ξίφει Soph.
2. of a warrior, "standing over or going round" a dead comrade so as to defend him (v. ἀμφιβαίνω, περιβαίνω); Αἴας περὶ Πατρόκλῳ βεβήκει Il.
II. Causal, much like περί c. gen., of an object "for or about" which one "struggles", μαχήσασθαι περὶ δαιτί Od.; περὶ τοῖς φιλτάτοις κυβεύειν Plat.
2. so also with Verbs denoting fear, ἔδδεισεν δὲ περὶ ξανθῷ Μενελάῳ Il.; δεῖσαι περὶ τῷ χωρίῳ Thuc.
3. generally, of the cause or occasion, "for, on account of, by reason of", Lat. prae, μὴ περὶ Μαρδονίῳ πταίσῃ ἡ Ἑλλάς Hdt.; περὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς πταίειν Thuc.:—in Poets also, περὶ δείματι "for" fear, Pind.; περὶ τάρβει, περὶ φόβῳ Aesch.
C. WITH ACCUSATIVE:
I. of Place, properly referring to the object "round about" which motion takes place, περὶ βόθρον ἐφοίτων came flocking "round" the pit, Od.; ἄστυ πέρι διώκειν Il.:—hence, "near", ἑστάμεναι περὶ τοῖχον Il.; οἳ περὶ Πηνειὸν ναίεσκον id=Il.; περὶ τὴν κρήνην "somewhere near" it, Plat.; ἡ περὶ Λέσβον ναυμαχία the sea-fight "off" Lesbos, Xen.
2. of persons "who are about one", οἱ περί τινα a person's suite, attendants, associates, οἱ περὶ τὸν Πείσανδρον πρέσβεις Thuc.; οἱ περὶ Ἡράκλειτον his school, Plat.; οἱ περὶ Ἀρχίαν πολέμαρχοι Archias "and his colleagues", Xen.:—later, οἱ περί τινα periphr. for the person himself, Plut.
3. of the object "about which one is occupied or concerned", περὶ δόρπα πονεῖσθαι Hom.; εἶναι or γίγνεσθαι περί τι Thuc., etc.; ὁ περὶ τὸν ἵππον the groom, Xen.
4. denoting motion "about or in" a place, περὶ νῆσον ἀλώμενοι wandering "about" the island, Od.; χρονίζειν περὶ Αἴγυπτον Hdt.
5. "about, in the case of", τὰ περὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον γεγονότα Hdt.; εὐσεβεῖν περὶ θεούς Plat.: —also without a Verb, "about, in respect of, in regard to", πονηρὸς περὶ τὸ σῶμα Plat.; ἀκόλαστος περὶ ταῦτα Aeschin.; τὰ περὶ τὰς ναῦς naval "affairs", Thuc.; τὰ περὶ τοὺς θεούς Xen., etc.
II. of Time, περὶ λύχνων ἁφάς "about" the time of lamp-lighting, Hdt.; περὶ μέσας νύκτας "about" midnight, Xen.; περὶ ἡλίου δυσμάς id=Xen.
2. of numbers loosely given, περὶ ἑβδομήκοντα "about" seventy, Thuc.
D. POSITION: περί may follow its Subst., when it suffers anastrophe, ἥν πέρι, ἄστυ πέρι.
E. absol., as ADV., "around, about", also "near, by", Hom.
II. "before or above others", in which case it commonly suffers anastrophe, Τυδείδη, πέρι μέν σε τίον Δαναοί Il.; πέρι κέρδεα οἶδεν Od.
2. περὶ κῆρι "very much" in heart, "right heartily", περὶ κῆρι φιλεῖν Il.; περὶ κῆρι χολοῦσθαι id=Il.; so, περὶ σθένεϊ id=Il.
3. strengthd. περὶ πρό, where also περί recovers its accent, id=Il.
F. IN COMPOS. all its chief senses recur:
I. "all round", as in περιβάλλω, περιβλέπω, περιέχω.
II. of return to the same point, "about", as in περιάγω, περιβαίνω, περιστρέφω.
III. "above, before", as in περιγίγνομαι, περιτοξεύω: also "beyond measure, very, exceedingly", as in περικαλλής, περιδείδω, like Lat. per- in "permultus, pergratus."
IV. rarely = ἀμφί, as in περιδέξιος.
G. PROSODY:—though ι in περί is short, περί does not suffer elision. The exceptions to this rule are few.