Etym.: The aeolic form deu/w (v. deu/w2) shows that the root of this word was DEV.

Sense

1. to lack, miss, stand in need of, I want, am, from, I am, from, lacking, save
2. to be in want or need, to stand in need of, I have, need
3. to ask for, from, having begged a favour, to beg, to do

Examples

• καὶ τοσούτου δέουσιν αἰσχρὸν ὑπολαμβάνειν ὥστε καὶ λέγουσιν, ὅταν ὁ μὲν δεσπότησ τῆσ οἰκίασ ἀφροδισιάζηται, ζητῇ δέ τισ αὐτόν, ὅτι πάσχει τὸ καὶ τό, προσαγορεύσαντεσ αἰσχρῶσ τὸ πρᾶγμα. (Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists, Book 12, book 12, chapter 14 2:5)
• τοσούτου δὴ δέουσιν ἐκτίνειν καθ’ ἃ ἠγγυήσαντο, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀμφισβητοῦσι. (Demosthenes, Speeches 51-61, 35:1)
• τὸν δὲ μέγαν ἐνιαυτὸν οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ ὀκταετηρίδι τίθενται οἱ δ’ ἐν τῇ ἐννεακαιδεκαετηρίδι οἱ δ’ ἐν τοῖσ ἑξήκοντα ἑνὸσ δέουσιν· (Pseudo-Plutarch, Placita Philosophorum, book 2, 2:2)
• πολλοῦ ἄρα δέουσιν οἱ γεωργοὶ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι δημιουργοὶ γιγνώσκειν ἑαυτούσ. (Plato, Alcibiades 1, Alcibiades 2, Hipparchus, Lovers, Theages, Charmides, Laches, Lysis, 170:6)
• πολλοῦ ἄρα δέουσιν περί γε λογισμῶν ἀνέχεσθαί σου ἐπιδεικνυμένου. (Plato, Hippias Major, Hippias Minor, Ion, Menexenus, Cleitophon, Timaeus, Critias, Minos, Epinomis, 27:5)

Source: Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. "A Greek-English Lexicon". revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones.

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