I. of places, a solitude, desert, wilderness, Hdt.3.98, A.Pr.2, etc. ; “ἡ Σκυθῶν ἐ.” Ar.Ach.704 ; “ἀφίκετ᾽ εἰς ἐ.” Id.Lys.787 ; ἕρπει εἰς τὰς ἐρημίας to solitary places, Arist.HA610b24, etc.
II. as a state or condition, solitude, loneliness, ἐρημίαν ἄγειν, to keep alone, E.Med.50 ; “μονάδ᾽ ἔχουσ᾽ ἐ.” Id.Ba.609 (troch.) ; “ἐρημίας τυχών” Id.El.510 ; “ἐν ἐρημίᾳ ἐλοιδοροῦντο” Antipho 2.1.4 ; of persons, isolation, destitution, S.OC957, Lys.18.25 ; “πολλὴν ἡμῶν ἐ. καταγνόντες” Is.1.2 ; δι᾽ ἐρημίαν from being left alone, Th.1.71, cf. 3.67 ; “ἐρημίας ἐπειλημμένοι” D.3.27 ; “εὑρετικὸν εἶναί φασι τὴν ἐ.” Men.39.
b. of places, desolation, “ἐρημίᾳ δοῦναί τι” E.Tr.97 ; ἐρημία..πόλιν ὅταν λάβῃ ib.26 ; “ἀτριβὴς ὑπ᾽ ἐρημίας” Th.4.8.
2. c. gen., want of, absence, “φίλων” X.Mem. 2.2.14 ; ἀρσένων, βροτῶν, ἀνδρῶν, E.Hec.1017,Ba.875 (lyr., pl.), Th. 6.102 ; “λύχνων” Ar.Av.1484 (lyr.), etc. ; δι᾽ ἐρημίας πολεμίων πορευόμενος without finding any enemy, X.HG3.4.21 ; τὴν ἐ. τῶν κωλυσόντων ὁρῶν seeing that there would be none to hinder him, D.4.49 ; ἐ. σώματος, = κενόν, Zeno Stoic.1.26 ; even ἐ. κακῶν freedom from evil, E. HF1157.
