A.strength, might, in Hom. esp. of bodily strength, “ἔπεφνε δόλῳ, οὔ τι κράτεΐ γε” Il.7.142; “ἔχει ἥβης ἄνθος, ὅ τε κ. ἐστὶ μέγιστον” 13.484, etc.; τὸ γὰρ αὖτε σιδήρου γε κ. ἐστίν this (i.e. τὸ βάψαι) is what gives strength to iron, Od.9.393: generally, “δικαία γλῶσσ᾽ ἔχει κ. μέγα” S.Fr.80; “μηχανῆς ἔστω κ.” A.Supp.207; κατὰ κράτος with all one's might or strength, “πολιορκεῖσθαι” Th.1.64; “πολεμεῖν” Pl. Lg.692d; “ἐξελέγχεσθαι” D.34.20, etc.: freq. in phrase αἱρεῖν κατὰ κ. take by storm, Th.8.100, Isoc.4.119, etc.; also “ἀνὰ κράτος διώκειν” X. Cyr.1.4.23; “ἐλαύνειν” Id.An.1.8.1, etc.; “ἀπὸ κράτους” D.S.17.34; πρὸς ἰσχύος κράτος, opp. λόγῳ, S.Ph.594.
II. power, τοῦ γὰρ κ. ἐστὶ μέγιστον, of Zeus, Il.2.118, etc.; “τοῦ γὰρ κ. ἔστ᾽ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ” Od.1.359, cf. Il.12.214; “Ζηνὸς κ.” Pi.O.6.96, cf. A.Pr.527 (lyr.); ἐκπίπτειν κράτους, of Zeus, ib. 948; “τὸ κ. τοῦ θεοῦ” LXX Ps.61(62).11, etc.: pl., “ὑποχείριος κράτεσιν ἀρσένων” A.Supp.393 (lyr.), cf. S.Ant.485; esp. of political power, rule, sovereignty, “ὁ μαιόμενος τὸ μέγα κρέτος ὀντρέψει τάχα τὰν πόλιν” Alc. l.c.; “τὸ κ. περιθεῖναί τινι” Hdt.1.129; “ἐς τὸ πλῆθος φέρειν τὸ κ.” Id.3.81; τὸ πᾶν κ. ἔχειν to be all-powerful, Id.7.3; “ἀρχὴ καὶ κ. τυραννικόν” S.OC 373; βασιλεὺς πρῶτος ἐν κράτει Ὀδρυσῶν ἐγένετο in real power, Th.2.29; later “τὸ κ. τῶν Ῥωμαίων” POxy.41i2 (iii/iv A. D.): in pl., “κράτη καὶ θρόνους” S.Ant.173, cf. OT586, etc.; θρόνων κράτη sovereign power, Id.Ant.166.
2. c. gen., power over, “τὸ Περσέων κ. ἔχοντα” Hdt.3.69; “τὸ κ. εἶχε τῆς στρατιῆς” Id.9.42; “πᾶν κ. ἔχων χθονός” A.Supp.425 (lyr.); “τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων” E.Tr.949; “δὸς κ. τῶν σῶν δόμων” A.Ch.480; “δωμάτων ἔχειν κ.” Ar.Th.871; “τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης κ.” Th.1.143; “μετὰ κράτους τῆς γῆς” Id.8.24; ὧν ἂν ᾖ τὸ κ. τῆς γῆς whoever have possession of the land, Id.4.98; “κ. ἔχειν ἑαυτοῦ” Pl.Plt.273a: pl., “ἀστραπᾶν κράτη νέμων” S.OT201 (lyr.).
III. mastery, victory, freq. in Hom., Il.1.509, 6.387, Od.21.280; “κ. ἄρνυσθαι” S.Ph. 838 (lyr.); “νίκη καὶ κράτη” A.Supp.951; ἀέθλων κ. victory in . . , Pi.I. 8(7).4; “νίκη καὶ κ. τῶν δρωμένων” S.El.85; κ. ἀριστείας the meed of highest valour, Id.Aj.443; “ϝίκη καὶ κ. πολεμίων” Pl.Lg.962a; “κ. πολέμου καὶ νίκη” D.19.130.
IV. Medic., in pl., ligaments, Hp.Mul. 2.167.
2. = ταρσός, back of the hand, Poll.2.144.
V. Pythag. name for ten, Theol.Ar.59.—This word and its derivs. take two forms, κρατ- and καρτ-; the latter is mostly Ep., as κάρτος, κάρτιστος, καρτύνω, but in κρατερός and καρτερός the reverse holds, v. κρατερός fin.; κρατέω, κρατύς have no form καρτ-. (κρατ- and καρτ- from κṛτ-, weak form of κρετ-, cf. κρέτος, κρέσσων.)