χείρ the penult. is regularly short, when the ult. is long: e.g. χειρός, χερών, but Poets used the penult. long or short, as the verse required. the hand, Hom., etc.: also the hand and arm, the arm, χεῖρα μέσην ἀγκῶνος ἔνερθεν Il.; χεῖρες ἀπʼ ὤμων ἀΐσσοντο Hes.; so, ἐν χερσὶ πεσεῖν into the arms, Il., etc.; ἄκρη χείρ, to denote the hand as distinct from the arm, Il. Special usages: to denote position, ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰ χειρός Od.; ἐπὶ δεξιὰ χειρός Pind.; λαιᾶς χειρός on the left hand, Aesch.; ποτέρας τῆς χειρός; on which hand? Eur. the dat. is common with Verbs which imply the use of hands, χειρὶ λαβεῖν, χερσὶν ἑλέσθαι, etc., Hom., etc. the gen. is used when one takes a person by the hand, χειρὸς ἔχειν τινά Il.; χειρὸς ἑλών Il. the acc. is used when one takes the hand of a person, χεῖρα γέροντος ἑλών Il.; χεῖράς τʼ ἀλλήλων λαβέτην, in pledge of good faith, Il. other uses of the acc.: of suppliants, χεῖρας ἀνασχεῖν θεοῖς, in prayer, Il.; χεῖρας ἀμφιβάλλειν γούνασι or δείρῃ Od.; also, χεῖρας αἴρειν is to hold up hands in voting, Xen., etc.:— χεῖρα ὑπερέχειν τινός or τινί to hold the hand over him as a protector, Il. in hostile sense, χεῖρας or χεῖρα ἐπιφέρειν τινί, ἐφιέναι τινί Hom. χεῖρας ἀπέχειν τινός to keep hands off a person or thing, Lat. abstinere manus ab aliquo, Hom. with Preps., ἀπὸ χειρὸς λογίζεσθαι to reckon off hand, roughly, Ar.:— διὰ χερῶν λαβεῖν, literally, to take between the hands, Soph.; διὰ χειρὸς ἔχειν to have in hand, i. e. under control, Thuc.; and so, to have a work in hand, Thuc.: —so, εἰς χεῖρας λαμβάνειν to take in hand, undertake, Eur.; ἄγεσθαί τι ἐς χεῖρας Hdt.; ἐς χεῖρας ἱκέσθαι τινός to fall into his hands, Il.; ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, ἰέναι τινί to come to blows or close quarters with, Lat. manum conserere cum aliquo, Aesch., Soph.; Hdt. expresses this by ἐς χειρῶν νόμον ἀπικέσθαι:—also, εἰς χεῖρας δέχεσθαι or ὑπομένειν to await their charge, Xen., Thuc.: —ἐκ χειρόςs from near at hand, close, Lat. cominus, Xen.:— ἐν χερσίν or ἐν χειρὶ ἔχειν, like διὰχειρὸς ἔχειν, to have in hand, be engaged in, Hdt., Plat.; ἐν χερσί hand to hand, Lat. cominus, Thuc.:— κατὰ χειρός, of washing the hands before meals, ὕδωρ κατὰ χειρός or κατὰ χειρὸς ὕδωρ (sc. φερέτω τις) , Ar.:— μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχειν between i. e. in, the hands, Il.; but, μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχειν to have in hand, be engaged in, Hdt., Thuc.:— πρὸ χειρῶν close before one, Soph., Eur.:— πρὸς χεῖρα at a sign given by hand, Soph.:— ὑπὸ χεῖρα ποιεῖσθαι to bring under oneʼs power, Xen.; cf. ὑποχείριος. to denote act or deed, as opp. to mere words, in pl., ἔπεσιν καὶ χερσὶν ἀρήξειν Il.; χερσίν τε ποσίν τε Il.; χερσὶν ἢ λόγῳ Soph.; μιᾷ χειρί single- handed, Dem.; χειρὶ καὶ ποδὶ καὶ πάσῃ δυνάμει Aeschin.:—esp. of deeds of violence, πρὶν χειρῶν γεύσασθαι before we try force, Od.; ἀδίκων χειρῶν ἄρχειν to give the first blow, Xen. like Lat. manus, a body of men, a band, number, Hdt., Thuc.; πολλῇ χ. Eur.; οἰκεία χείρ, for χεὶρ οἰκετῶν, Eur. oneʼs hand, i. e. handwriting, NTest.: also a handiwork, a work of art, σοφαὶ χέρες Anth. of any implement resembling a hand: a kind of gauntlet or target, Xen. χ. σιδηρᾶ a grappling- iron, grapnel, Thuc.