gén. θηρός (ὁ, postér. ἡ, v. ci-dessous) bête sauvage :
      1 bête féroce, ou simpl. bête sauvage (lion, IL. 15, 586, etc. ; EUR. H.f. 153 ; joint à λέων, EUR. H.f. 465 ; EPIM. dans EL. N.A. 12, 7 ; lionne, joint à λέαινα, ANTH. 14, 63 ; sanglier, SOPH. Tr. 1096, etc.) ;
      2 bête vivant sur terre, p. opp. aux oiseaux et aux poissons, OD. 24, 292 ; HÉS. O. 275 ;
      3 bête en gén., même les oiseaux, p. opp. aux dieux ou aux hommes, ESCHL. Eum. 70 ; ARION Bgk p. 566 ; AR. Av. 1064 ; même bête apprivoisée ou domestique (θὴρ ἄφοϐος) SOPH. Aj. 366 ;
      4 bête monstrueuse ou fabuleuse, être monstrueux (Cerbère, SOPH. O.C. 1569 ; Sphinx, ESCHL. Sept. 558 ; Centaure, SOPH. Tr. 568, etc. ; Satyre, EUR. Cycl. 624) ;
      5 fig. en parl. de pers. (Oreste et Pylade) EUR. Or. 1272.

➳ ἡ θήρ, EL. N.A. 6, 24. En prose, on emploie de préférence θηρίον au sens de θήρ ; θήρ est surt. poétique.

Étym. indo-europ. *ǵ^hueh₁r-, animal sauvage ; cf. lat. ferus.

θηρός, Ep. dat. pl. θήρεσσι, ὁ ; later also ἡ, Ael. NA 6.24, etc. ; (v. sub fin.): — beast of prey, esp. a lion (so used in Cephallenia, Sch. Il. 15.324), Il. 15.586, etc. ; ὁ Νέμειος θ. E. HF 153; coupled with λέων, ib. 465, Epimenid. 2; with λέαινα, AP 14.63.4 (Mesom.); of the wild boar, Ἐρυμάνθιος θ. S. Tr. 1097; of Cerberus, Id. OC 1569 (lyr.); ὁ θ., of a hind, Id. El. 572; pl., generally, beasts, opp. birds and fishes, ἠέ που ἐν πόντῳ φάγον ἰσθύες, ἢ ἐπὶ χέρσου θηρσὶ καὶ οἰωνοῖσιν ἕλωρ γένετ’ Od. 24.291; ἰχθύσι μὲν καὶ θηρσὶ καὶ οἰωνοῖς πετεηνοῖς Hes. Op. 277; ἐν θηρσίν, ἐν βροτοῖσιν, ἐν θεοῖς ἄνω S. Fr. 941.12; ἐν ἄγρῃ θηρῶν Hdt. 3.129; ἄφοβοι θῆρες S. Aj. 366; metaph, θῆρες ξιφήρεις, of Orestes and Pylades, E. Or. 1272, cf. Ph. 1296 (lyr.); ἡ σφοδρότης… θηρός (sc. Ἔρωτος) Alex. 245.12; prov., ἔγνω θὴρ θῆρα Arist. Rh. 1371b16. of any living creature, πλωτοὶ θῆρες, i.e. dolphins, Arion 1.5; of vermin killed by birds, Ar. Av. 1064 (lyr.); of gnats, AP 5.150 (Mel.); of the sacred animals in Egypt, ἀρχιστολιστὴς θηρῶν Sammelb. 4011.4. any fabulous monster, as the Sphinx, A. Th. 558 codd. ; esp. of a centaur, S. Tr. 556, 568 (cf. φήρ); of Satyrs, E. Cyc. 624; οὐ θεῶν τις οὐδ’ ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲ θ. A. Eu. 70. — Less freq. than θηρίον in Prose, but found in Hdt. l.c. (v.l. θηρίων), X. Cyr. 4.6.4, Pl. R. 559d, Sph. 235a, Ael. l.c., etc. ; ἄγριοι θῆρες Arist. EE 1229a25. (I.-E. ĝh^uēr-, cf. φήρ, Lith. žvėrìs ΄wild beast΄.)

θηρός, ὁ (φήρ, fera), Tier, οὐδ' ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲ θήρ Aesch. Eum. 70 ; u. zwar bes. das wild lebende, das Wild, wie Hom. Ἴδην μητέρα θηρῶν nennt, Il. 8.47 ; ἐν ἄγρῃ θηρῶν Her. 3.129 ; ἄγρευμα θηρός Aesch. Ch. 992, vgl. Eum. 141 ; von der Hindin Soph. El. 562, vom Eber Trach. 1087 ; bei Hom. vorzugsweise Raubtier, μὴ θήρεσσιν ἕλωρ γένωμαι Od. 5.473, vgl. 24.292, wo θηρσὶ καὶ οἰωνοῖς vrbdn, wie Hes. O. 275 u. Soph. frg. 678 ; Löwe, Il. 15.586 ; Xen. Cyr. 4.6.4 ; Eur. Herc.Fur. 153, der auch θὴρ λέων vrbdt, wie λέαινα θήρ Mesomed. 3 (XIV.63); Pind. hat nur I. 5.46 den sing., sonst den plur. Bei Aesch. Spt. 540 die Sphinx ; πλωτοὶ θῆρες, Delphine, Arion bei Ael. H.A. 12.45. Soph. nennt in den Trach. oft die Kentauren θήρ, ἀρχαῖος θήρ 553 (vgl. φήρ), u. O.C. 1565 den Kerberos, aber Aj. 359 sind ἄφοβοι θῆρες zahme Tiere, Schafherden ; Ar. Av. 1064 Insekten. – Uebertr., wilde, gewaltige Menschen, Eur. Or. 1227. – In Prosa ist θηρίον gewöhnlich, αἴθωσι θηρσὶ καὶ δεινοῖς Plat. Rep. VIII.559d, τὸν θῆρα μηκέτ' ἀνεῖναι, das Wild, Soph. 235a, – ἡ θήρ, Ael. N.A. 6.24 ; Opp. C. 3.440 u. a.Sp.

1. a wild beast, beast of prey , (Iliad by Homer), etc.; joined with λέων, (Euripides); with λέαινα, [variant datesAnthology Palantina; also of Cerberus, (Sophocles Tragicus):—;in plural beasts , as opp. to birds and fishes, (Odyssey by Homer), etc.
2. of any animal , as of birds, (Aristophanes Comicus), etc.
3. any fabulous monster , as the sphinx, (Aeschulus Tragicus); especially a centaur , (Sophocles Tragicus) (compare Φήρ)); a satyr , (Euripides) (ML)