περιεργ-άζομαι,
future -εργάσομαι, περίεργος) take more pains than enough about a thing, waste one's labour on it, with participle, περιεργάζοντο δοκέοντες πρῶτοι ἀνθρώπων γεγονέναι [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.15; Σωκράτης π. ζητῶν τά τε ὑπὸ γῆς καὶ οὐράνια 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Apologia” 19b; περιείργασμαι μὲν ἐγὼ περὶ τούτων εἰπὼν περιείργασται δ᾽ ἡ πόλις ἡ πεισθεῖσ᾽ ἐμοί 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 18.72: with _dative_ modi, τῷ θυλάκῳ περιερλάσθαι] Refs 5th c.BC+] that they had overdone it with their 'sack' (i.e. need not have used the word), [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.46 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. τοῖς σημείοις overact one's part, [[ 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Poetica” 1462a6 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. τῷ οἰκιδίῳ go to a needless expense with his house, [[ 2nd-3rd c.AD: Aelianus “Varia Historia” 4.11 ] Refs 2nd c.AD+]; οὐδὲ περιείργασται ἐν αὐτοῖς nor has he lavished useless pains upon.., [[ 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Herod.” 6 ] Refs 2nd c.AD+] (but perfect in passive sense, πλέον οὐδὲν περιείρλασται τῷ Θέωνι [[ 2nd-3rd c.AD: Aelianus “Varia Historia” 2.44). ] Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__2 with accusative, π. τι καινόν to be busy about 'some new thing', [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ecclesiazusae” 220; αἱ μέλιτται π. τὸ παιδίον 2nd-3rd c.AD: Philostratus Sophista “Philostrati majoris imagines” 2.12 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; meddle, interfere with, τὰ ἀλλότρια Chiloap.[[ 5th c.AD: Stobaeus, Joannes 3.1.172; τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν οὐδέν 2nd c.BC: Polybius Historicus 18.51.2 ] Refs 2nd c.BC+]: absolutely, to be a busybody, [[ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 26.15, 32.28, 4th-3rd c.BC: Menander Comicus “Ἐπιτρέποντες” 358, 4th c.AD: Libanius Sophista “Epistulae” 1068.3. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]