Bible Lexicons

χείρων, ὁ, ἡ,

neut. χεῖρον, gen. -ονος, acc. -ονα: nom. and acc. pl. χείρονες, -ας, χείρονα, contr. in Att. Prose χείρους, χείρω; dat. χείροσι, poet. χειρόνεσσι Pi. N. 8.22: — (for form χερείων, poet. χειρότερος, χερειότερος, v. sub vocc.): — irreg. Comp. of κακός: (χείρων from Χερ-ψων, cf. χερείων):

I of persons, mcaner, inferior, either in bodily strength and bravery, or in rank, opp. ἀρείων, Il. 10.238, Od. 20.133; σὺ μὲν ἐσθλὸς ἐγὼ δὲ σέθεν πολὺ χείρων Il. 20.434; τοῦ γένετ' ἐκ πατρὸς πολὺ χείρονος υἱὸς ἀμείνων 15.641, cf. Od. 20.82; ἦ πολὺ χείρονες ἄνδρες ἀμύμονος ἀνδρὸς ἄκοιτιν μνῶνται 21.325; opp. κρείσσων, Pi. I. 4(3).34(52); τὸν ὄλβιον τόν τε χ. E. Ba. 422 (lyr.); τὰ χείρονα S. Fr. 192, E. Supp. 196.

2. later in moral sense, worse than others, sts. almost like a positive, knave, opp. ἀγαθός, S. Ph. 456, cf. Th. 3.9, Lys. 16.3; οἱ πένητες καὶ οἱ δημόται καὶ οἱ χ. X. Ath. 1.4, cf. 3.10; οἱ χ., opp. οἱ ἀγαθοί, Pl. R. 460c, etc. χ. βίος, opp. ἀμείνων, ib. 618d; γνώμη X. Cyr. 8.8.7.

3. worse in quality, inferior, of horses, Il. 23.572: inferior, less skilful, ἰητροί Hp. Acut. 6; ζωγράφοι, δημιουργοί, etc., Pl. Cra. 429a, R. 421e, etc.: χ. εἰς σοφίαν, εἰς τὴν ἀρετήν, Id. Tht. 162c, R. 335b; πρὸς ἀλήθειαν Luc. JTr. 48; c. acc., χ. τὰ πολεμικά X. Cyr. 8.8.20; χ. τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν διάνοιαν, Aeschin. 3.46. Isoc. 11.43; τὰ ἄλλα μηδὲν χ. Id. 4.105; c. inf., χ. ἡμῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖν X. Cyr. 2.1.16; οὐδὲν χείρους ἔσεσθε.. ἀκηκοότες you will be none the worse for having heard.., D. 24.139; less kind, μὴ χ. περὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς εἶναι.. τῶν ὑπαρχόντων Id. 2.2.

II of things, inferior in quality, ἄεθλον Il. 23.413; ὑποδήματα X. Oec. 13.10; ὄνομα Pl. Cra. 429b.

2. worse, harder, more severe, νόσος E. Andr. 220; μοῖρα Pl. Phdr. 248e; τιμωρία Hebrews 10:29.

III neut.,

1 as a Subst., τὸ χ. inferiority, Polem. Call. 27; but mostly in phrases with Preps., ἐπὶ τὸ χ. τρέπεσθαι, κλῖναι, fall off, get worse, X. Cyr. 8.8.2, Mem. 3.5.13; ἐπὶ τὸ χ. μεταβάλλει ἑαυτόν Pl. R. 381b; ἀλλοιοῦσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ χ., opp. ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον, Thphr. CP 6.3.3; also πάντα ὑποπτεύοντες ἐπὶ τὸ χ. putting the worst construction on.. D.H. 6.85; λαμβάνειν τι ἐπὶ τὸ χ. J. AJ 16.7.4; also πρὸς τὸ χ. μεταβάλλειν D.S. 20.57; κατὰ τὸ χ. Pl. Lg. 720e; in the lower sense, opp. κατὰ τὸ κρεῖττον, Dam. Proverbs 7:1-27 : less freq. in pl., ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ἰέναι X. Mem. 3.9.9; τὰ χ. προαιρεῖσθαι Isoc. 8.110.

2. as a predicate, ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ χ. (sc. ἐστί or ἔσται) Od. 15.515, cf. X. An. 7.6.4; with a neg., οὐ χ. [ἐστι ] c. inf., we may as well, Pl. Phd. 105a, Arist. EN 1127a14; simply οὐ χεῖρον, in an answer, it is as well, Ar. Eq. 37; λάβ', ὦγάθ'· οὐδὲν χ. Clearch.Com. 4.

3. as Adv., worse, χ. βουλεύσασθαι Th. 3.46, cf. 6.89; χ. πρᾶξαι Id. 7.67; βιῶναι, ζῆν, Pl. R. 344e, 519d. in inferior degree, less, ἀγαπᾶν Id. Lg. 928a; φυλακὰς χ. φυλαττομένας X. HG 6.2.17, etc. Sup. χείριστος, η, ον, worst, Pl. Plt. 303a, etc.; ὁ χ., opp. ὁ βέλτιστος, Lys. 1.2; esp. οἱ χ. men of lowest degrce, X. Mem. 1.2.32. Adv. χείριστα Arist. PA 687a24, Metaph. 1083b2 (dub. 1.); also -τως LXX 2 Maccabees 7:39.