I. of things as the object, take, accept, receive, etc., ἄποινα 1.20, etc.; μισθὸν τῆς φυλακῆς Pl. R. 416e; φόρον Th. 1.90; δ. τι χείρεσσι Od. 19.355; τὸ διδόμενον παρά τινος Pl. Grg. 499c; τι ἐν παρακαταθήκῃ παρά τινος Plb. 33.6.2, etc.; δ. τί τινι receive something at the hand of another, δέξατό οἱ σκῆπτρον πατρώϊον Il. 2.186, cf. IG 12(3).1075(Melos, vi B. C.), etc.; accept as legal tender, ὀδελός GDI 5011 (Gortyn); τι παρά τινος Il. 24.429; τι ἔκ τινος S. OT 1107(lyr.); τί τινος Il. 1.596, 24.305, S. OT 1163; also δ. τί τινος receive in exchange for . ., χρυσὸν φίλου ἀνδρὸς ἐδέξατο Od. 11.327; choose, τι δ. πρό τινος Pl. Lg. 729d; μᾶλλον δ. τι ἀντί τινος Id. Grg. 475d: c. inf., prefer, δεξαίμην ἂν πάσας τὰς ἀσπίδας ἐρριφέναι ἢ . . Lys. 10.21, cf. Pl. Phlb. 63b; δ. μᾶλλον . . X. HG 5.1.14, Smp. 4.12; οὐδεὶς ἂν δέξαιτο φεύγειν Th. 1.143; Ὀρφεῖ συγγενέσθαι ἐπὶ πόσῳ ἄν τις δέξαιτʼ ἂν ὑμῶν; Pl. Ap. 41a; οὐκ ἂν δεξαίμην τι ἔχειν And. 1.5.

b. catch, as in a vessel, ὀπὸν . . κάδοις δ. S. Fr. 534.3.

2. of mental reception, take, accept without complaint, χαλεπόν περ ἐόντα δεχώμεθα μῦθον Od. 20.271; κῆρα δʼ ἐγὼ τότε δέξομαι Il. 18.115.

b. accept graciously, τοῦτο δʼ ἐγὼ πρόφρων δ. 23.647; of the gods, ἀλλʼ ὅ γε δέκτο μὲν ἱρά 2.420; προσφιλῶς γέρα δ., of one dead, S. El. 443; τὰ σφάγια δ. Ar. Lys. 204, cf. Pi. P. 5.86; τὸ χρησθέν, τὸν οἰωνὸν δ., accept, hail the oracle, the omen, Hdt. 1.63, 9.91; δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ὄρνιν Ar. Pl. 63; δ. τὰ ἀγαθά IG 22.410,al.; ἐδεξάμην τὸ ῥηθέν S. El. 668: abs., δεχομένοις λέγεις θανεῖν σε A. Ag. 1653, cf. X. An. 1.8.17; accept, approve, τὸν λόγον, ξυμμαχίαν, Hdt. 9.5, Th. 1.37; τοὺς λόγους ib.95; διδόναι καὶ δέχεσθαι τὰ δίκαια ib.37, cf. h.Merc. 312; δέχεσθαι ὅρκον, v. ὅρκος; accept a confession, and so forgive, ἀδικίαν LXX Ge. 50.17.

c. simply, give ear to, hear, ὠσὶν ἠχήν E. Ba. 1086; δ. ὀμφάν Id. Med. 175 (lyr.); τὰ παραγγελλόμενα ὀξέως δ. Th. 2.11,89.

d. take or regard as so and so, μηδὲ συμφορὰν δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα S. Aj. 68; understand in a certain sense, ὅπῃ βούλει δέξασθαι ταύτῃ δέχου Pl. Ep. 315c: c. inf., κῶλά με δέξαι νυνὶ λέγειν D.H. Comp. 22, cf. Str. 1.3.13, etc.

e. cap verses, σκόλια δ. Ar. V. 1222.

3. take upon oneself, τὴν δαπάνην Plb. 31.28.5: c. inf., undertake, SIG 245.34.

II. of persons as the object, welcome, κόλπῳ Il. 6.483; ἀγαθῷ νόῳ Hdt. 1.60; ἐν μεγάροισι, ἐν δόμοισιν, Il. 18.331, Od. 17.110; δόμοις δ. τινά S. OT 818; στέγαις, πυρὶ δ. τινά, E. Or. 47; δ. χώρᾳ Id. Med. 713; τῇ πόλει δ. to admit into the city, Th. 4.103; ἀγορᾷ, ἄστει δ., Id. 6.44; ἔσω ibid.; εἰς τὸ τεῖχος X. An. 5.5.6; δ. τινὰ ξύμμαχον accept or admit as an ally, Th. 1.43, etc.; accept as security, PGrenf. 1.33.4, etc.: metaph. of places, τόποι τοὺς κατοικιζομένους ἵλεῳ δεχόμενοι Pl. Lg. 747e; entertain, δείπνοις Anaxandr. 41.2(anap.); δωρήμασιν S. OC 4.

2. receive as an enemy, await the attack of, ἐπιόντα δ. δουρί Il. 5.238, cf. 15.745; of a hunter waiting for game, 4.107; of a wild boar waiting for the hunters, 12.147; of troops, εἰς χεῖρας δ. X. An. 4.3.31; τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους δ. Hdt. 3.54, cf. 8.28, Th. 4.43; ἐπιόντας δ. Id. 7.77; δ. τὴν πρώτην ἔφοδον Id. 4.126; ἐδέξατο πόλις πόνον E. Supp. 393.

3. expect, wait, c. acc. et fut. inf., ἀλλʼ αἰεί τινα φῶτα . . ἐδέγμην ἐνθάδʼ ἐλεύσεσθαι Od. 9.513, cf. 12.230; also δέγμενος Αἰακίδην, ὁπότε λήξειεν Il. 9.191; δεδεγμένος εἰσόκεν ἔλθῃς 10.62.—In these two last senses, Hom. always uses fut. δεδέξομαι, pf. δέδεγμαι, and δεδεγμένος, cf. δεδεγμένος ὁππόθʼ ἵκοιτο Theoc. 25.228; δέγμενος is used in sense 3 only, exc. in h.Cer. 29, Merc. 477: inf. δειδέχθαι as imper., expect, c. gen., βορέω Arat. 795, cf. 907, 928.

III. rarely with a thing as the subject, occupy, engage one, τίς ἀρχὰ δέξατο ναυτιλίας [αὐτούς]; Pi. P. 4.70.

2. receive, hold, τὴν τροφήν Arist. HA 531a23,al.; οἰκίαι ἱκαναὶ δέξασθαι ὑμᾶς SIG 344.10.

3. admit of, ψεῦδος οὐδὲν δ. ἁ τῶ ἀριθμῶ φύσις Philol. 11; τὸ μᾶλλον Arist. Top. 146a3, cf.D.H. Isoc. 2.

4. Geom., contain, circum-scribe, γωνίας ἴσας Euc. 3 Def. 11; πεντάγωνον Papp. 422.34.

IV. intr., succeed, come next, ὥς μοι δέχεται κακὸν ἐκ κακοῦ αἰεί Il. 19.290; ἄλλος γʼ ἐξ ἄλλου δέχεται χαλεπώτερος ἆθλος Hes. Th. 800; ἄλλος ἐξ ἄλλου δ. Emp. 115.12; of places, ἐκ τοῦ στεινοῦ τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον δέκεται Hdt. 7.176. (δέκομαι is prob. the original form, cf. Slav. desiti, dositi ‘find’.)