ἀχρεῖος
(Att. ἄχρειος acc. to Hdn.Gr. 1.136), ον, also α, ον IG 7.303.10 (Oropus), Dsc. 4.5, Polem.Phgn. 69: Ion. ἀχρήϊος:
I
1. useless, unprofitable, ἀχρήϊος ἀνήρ Hes. Op. 297; ἐπέων νομός ib. 403; δέμας A. Pr. 365, cf. Hp. Int. 39; οἰκητήρ S. OC 627; opp. εὐγενής, Id. Fr. 667; ἐρινὸς ἀ. ὢν ἐς βρῶσιν ib. 181; ἀ. κοὐ σοφός E. Med. 299; δοῦλος [Mat 25:30]; οὐκ ἀπράγμονα ἀλλ’ ἀχρεῖον νομίζομεν Th. 2.40; λόγον ἀχρεῖον ἀπέρριψαν Ant.Lib. 11.3: Comp. -ότερος, ὄρνιθες Chrysipp.Stoic. 3.195: c. inf., unfit to do, ἀ. πράττειν τι Pl. R. 371c: c. dat., ἀ. τοῖς σώμασι Agatharch. Fr.Hist. 3, cf. Them. Or. 26.326a.
2. esp. unfit for war, ἀ. ὅμιλος Hdt. 3.81; τὸ ἀ. τοῦ στρατοῦ the unserviceable part of an army, Id. 1.191; οἱ ἀχρειότατοι Th. 1.93, 2.6, cf. X. HG 7.2.18; τὸ ἀ. τῆς ἡλικίας Th. 2.44. Adv. -είως, ἔχειν πρὸς ναυμαχίαν App. BC 5.84.
II neut. ἀχρεῖον, as Adv., twice in Hom., ἀχρεῖον ἰδών giving a helpless look, looking foolish, of Thersites after being beaten, Il. 2.269; ἀχρεῖον δ’ ἐγέλασσε laughed without cause, made a forced laugh, of Penelope trying to disguise her feelings, Od. 18.163; ἀχρεῖον κλάζειν bark without need or cause, Theoc. 25.72.
III Adv. ἀχρείως γέλασόν με (cf. ἀχρειόγελως) APl. 4.86, cf. Them. Or. 33.367b: neut. pl. as Adv. ἀχρεῖ’ ἀσπαίροντος helplessly, Euph. 44.
G888 — ἀχρεῖος
ἀχρεῖον (χρεῖος useful), useless, good for nothing: [Mat 25:30] (δοῦλος, cf. Plato, Alc. 1:17, p. 122 b. τῶν οἰκετῶν τόν ἀχρειοτατον); by an hyperbole of pious modesty in [Luk 17:10] 'the servant' calls himself ἀχρεῖον, because, although he has done all, yet he has done nothing except what he ought to have done; accordingly he possesses no merit, and could only claim to be called 'profitable,' should he do more than what he is bound to do; cf. Bengel, at the passage. (Often in Greek writings from Homer down; Xenophon, mem. 1, 2, 54 ἀχρεῖον καί ἀνωφελές. The Sept. [2Sa 6:22] equivalent to שָׁפָל low, base.) (Synonyms: cf. Tittmann ii., p. 11f; Ellicott on [Phi 1:11].)
ἀ - χρεῖος , - ον
( < χρεῖος , useful),
[in LXX : [2Sa 6:22] (H8217), Ep . [Jer 17:1-27] * ;]
useless, unprofitable: [Mat 25:30], [Luk 17:10] ( MM , s.v. ). †