σφᾰγ-ιον, τό,
victim, offering, σφάγιον ἔθετο ματέρα [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Orestes” 842 (Lyric poetry); σὴν παῖδ᾽ Ἀχιλεῖ σ. θέσθαι [prev. author] “Hec.” 109 (_anapaest meter_); διδόναι τύμβῳ σ. [prev. work] 119 (_anapaest meter_)] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἑαυτὰς ἔδοσαν σφάγιον τοῖς πολίταις ὑπὲρ τῆς χώρας [[ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 60.29 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]: mostly in plural, σφάγια παρθένους κτανεῖν [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Ion” 278; τὰ σ. ἐγίνετο καλά 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 6.112, compare 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Septem contra Thebas” 379, 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 1.8.15; οὐ γάρ σφι ἐγίνετο τὰ σ. χρηστά 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 9.61, compare 62; τὰ σ. οὐ δύναται καταθύμια γενέσθαι [prev. work] 45; τῶν σ. οὐ γινομένων (without any _adjective_) not proving favourable, [prev. work] 61 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; σ. ἔρδειν, τέμνειν, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Septem contra Thebas” 230, 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Supplices” 1196; προφέρειν 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 6.69; ἅπτεσθαι τῶν σ 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 5.12 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ σ. δέξαι, addressed to a goddess, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Lysistrata” 204. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__2 in [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus ] Refs 5th c.BC+] also, slaughter, sacrifice, δοῦλα σφάγια [[ “Hec.” 135 (_anapaest meter_); σφάγια τέκνων “Or.” 815 (Lyric poetry), compare 658. ] Refs]