I. abs., rule, hold sway, “Ἤλιδα . . , ὅθι κρατέουσιν Ἐπειοί” Od.13.275,15.298; μέγα κρατέων ἤνασσε with mighty sway . . , Il.16.172; “ἅπας δὲ τραχύς, ὅστις ἂν νέον κρατῇ” A.Pr.35; ὁ κρατῶν the ruler, Id.Ag.951,1664, S.Ant.738, etc.; “θῶπτε τὸν κρατοῦντ᾽ ἀεί” A.Pr.937; “οἱ κρατοῦντες” Id.Ch.267, S.OT530, etc.; “τὸ κρατοῦν” E.Andr.133 (lyr.), Pl.Lg.714c, Arist.Pol.1255a15; ἡ κρατοῦσα the lady of the house, A.Ch.734.
2. in Poets, c. dat., rule among, “μέγα κρατέεις νεκύεσσιν” Od.11.485; “ἀνδράσι καὶ θεοῖσι” 16.265; Φθίᾳ rule in Phthia, Pi.N.4.50; “ἐν Ἰλιάδι χθονί” E.El.4.
3. c. gen., to be lord or master of, rule over, πάντων Ἀργείων, πάντων, Il.1.79, 288, cf. Od. 15.274; “Ὀλύμπου” A.Pr.149 (lyr.); “δωμάτων” Id.Ag.1673; “ὅπλων” S.Aj. 1337; κ. τοῦ βίου to be master of . . , And.1.137; “αὑτοῦ κ.” S.Aj.1099, Antipho 5.26, cf. S.OC405; “ἡδονῶν καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν” Pl.Smp.196c, etc.; “τῶν πραγμάτων” D.2.27; τοῦ μὴ πείθεσθαι τοῖς νόμοις κρατῆσαι to be above obedience . . , X.Lac.4.6.
II. conquer, prevail, get the upper hand, abs., A.Ag.324, etc.; “πολλῷ ἐκράτησαν” Hdt.5.77; “εἰ τὰ τοῦ Μήδου κρατήσειε” Th.3.62; “ὁ μὴ πειθόμενος κρατεῖ” Pl.Phdr.272b; “ἔνθα τἀναιδὲς κρατεῖ” Diph.111: c. dat. modi, κ. τῇ γνώμῃ prevail in opinion, Hdt.9.42; πάλᾳ, ἱπποδρομίᾳ, Pi.O.8.20, I.3.13; “μάχῃ” E.HF612; “ταῖς ναυσί” Ar.Ach.648; “τῷ Φοινίκων ναυτικῷ” Th.1.16; also “θουρίῳ ἐν Ἄρει” S.Aj.614 (lyr.); “ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις” Ar.Pl.184: c.acc.cogn., “κ. στάδιον” B. 6.15, cf. 7; “ὀκτὼ νίκας” E.Epigr.1; “τὸν ἀγῶνα” D.21.18; τὴν μάχην v.l. for τῇ μάχῃ in D.S.18.30; “τὴν πρεσβείαν” Philostr.VS1.21.6; πάντα in all things, S.OT1522; οἱ κρατοῦντες the conquerors, X.An.3.2.26; “τὰ κατὰ πόλεμον κρατούμενα τῶν κρατούντων εἶναί φασιν” Arist.Pol.1255a7.
c. of reports, etc., prevail, become current, “φάτις κρατεῖ” A.Supp.293, S.Aj.978; “λόγος κ.” A.Pers.738; “νόμιμα δὲ τὰ Χαλκιδικὰ ἐκράτησεν” Th.6.5; “κρατεῖ ἡ φήμη παρά τισι” Plb. 9.26.11.
2. c.inf., prevail so that, “κ. τῷ πλήθει ὥστε μὴ αὐτίκα τὰς πύλας ἀνοίγεσθαι” Th.4.104: impers., κατθανεῖν κρατεῖ 'tis better to . . , A.Ag.1364; “κρατεῖ μὴ γιγνώσκοντ᾽ ἀπολέσθαι” E.Hipp.248 (anap.).
3. c.gen., conquer, prevail over, “τῶν ἐναντίων” S.Fr.85, cf. OC646, A.Th. 955 (lyr.), etc.; “κ. τινὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα” Philostr.Her.2.5: metaph., “τό τοι νομισθὲν τῆς ἀληθείας κρατεῖ” S.Fr.86; κ. τῆς διαβολῆς get the better of it, Lys.19.53; ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἔργου ἐκράτει surpassed, went beyond it, Th.1.69; ἡ φύσις . . τῶν διδαγμάτων κρατεῖ is better than . . , Men. Mon.213, cf. 169.
b. of food, digest, assimilate, Hp.VM3,14, Mnesith. ap. Ath.2.54b, Phylotim.ib.3.79c:—Pass., Hp.Epid.6.5.15; “τῆς τροφῆς μὴ κρατηθείσης” Plu.2.654b.
4. c.acc., conquer, master, Pi.N.10.25, A.Pr.215, Th.189, E.Alc.490, Ar.Nu.1346, Av.420, X. An.7.6.32, etc.; μάχῃ, τῷ πολέμῳ τινά, Th.6.2, Aeschin.2.30; “τῷ λόγῳ τινά” Ar.V.539; πάχει μάκει τε in . . , Pi.P.4.245; outdo, “τοὺς φίλους εὖ ποιῶν” X.Hier.11.15; “τῷ διαφθαρῆναι χρήμασιν ἢ μὴ κεκράτηκα Φίλιππον” D.18.247; surpass, “κρατεῖ δὲ ὁ τῆς ἡδονῆς [βίος] τὸν τῆς φρονήσεως” Pl.Phlb.12a:—Pass., to be overcome, A.Th.750 (lyr.), etc.; “ὕπνῳ” Id.Eu.148 (lyr.); “ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου” Hdt.2.121. “δ᾽; ὑπὸ τῶν ἡδονῶν” Pl.Lg.633e.
III. become master of, get possession of, τῆς ἀρχῆς, τῶν νεκρῶν, Hdt.1.92,4.111; “πολλὰ φρονέοντα μηδενὸς κ.” Id.9.16; “σέθεν” A.Supp.387; “οὔπω ἡ βουλή σου ἐκράτει” Lys.13.26; “κ. τῆς γῆς” Th.3.6; “ναυσὶ τῆς θαλάσσης” Pl.Mx.240a; κ. τῆς λέξεως have it at command, remember it, Ath.7.275b; master by the intellect, “πάντων τῶν τῆς ἱστορίας μερῶν” Plb.16.20.2:—Pass., to be mastered, “δεῖ ἐν ταῖς τέχναις καὶ ἐπιστήμαις ταῦτα κρατεῖσθαι” Arist.Pol.1331b38, cf. Po.1456a10 (prob.for κροτεῖσθαι).
2. c.acc.rei, seize, win and keep, esp.by force, “πᾶσαν αἶαν” A.Supp.255; “θρόνους” S.OC 1381; seize, hold fast, arrest, τινα Batr.63, Plb.8.18.8, Ev.Matt.14.3; “τένοντα” Batr.233; “τὰς χεῖράς τινος” PLips.40iii2 (iv/v A.D.); secure, grasp, τὴν ἀκατονόμαστον Τριάσα Zos.Alch.p.230 B.
3. hold up, support, τινα D.H.4.38; maintain a military post, X.An.5.6.7; hold fast, “τὰς παραδόσεις” 2 Ep.Thess.2.15; keep, retain, PTeb.61(b).229 (ii B.C.):—Pass., οὐκ ἦν δυνατὸν κρατεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ (sc. τοῦ θανάτου) Act.Ap.2.24; ἡ κτῆσις τοῖς τέκνοις κεκράτηται has been reserved for, settled upon, POxy.237 viii 36 (ii A.D.).
b. sequester, place under embargo, OGI1669.23 (Pass., Egypt, i A.D.), BGU 742 iii 6 (Pass., ii A.D.).
5. hold in the hand, “ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀδτέρας ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ” Apoc.2.1; “πόαν” Dsc.3.93; “ἄρτον” Plu.2.99d; “σκῆπτρον” Ath.7.289c, cf. Luc.Am.44, Ach.Tat.1.6, etc.; “δακτύλιον” PMag.Lond.46.451 (iv A.D.).
6. endure, put up with, “τὸν ἀργυροπράτην” POxy.1844 (vi A.D.).
V. control, command, A.Ag.10, E. Hec.282:—Pass., αἰσχρὰ τῷ νόμῳ κρατούμενα controlled by . . , Ar.Av. 755; “κρατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ προβουλεύματος” D.H.9.52; “διαθέσει” Porph. Sent.27.