παίγν-ιον, τό,
plaything, toy, ἄνθρωπον θεοῦ τι παίγνιον εἶναι [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 803c, compare “Plt.” 288c; τύχης π. 2nd c.AD: Secundus Gnomologus “Sententiae - FPG” 7; πλοῖον ἀνέμων π. [prev. work] 17 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἷον π. φεῦγον, of Matter because of its instability, [[ 3rd c.AD: Plotinus Philosophus 3.6.7: in _plural_, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 797b, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; dainties, [[ 4th c.BC: Ephippus Comicus 24. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__2 of persons, darling, pet, [[ 4th c.BC: Anaxandrides Comicus 9.3: also in _plural_ (of one person), 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ecclesiazusae” 922, 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Antonius” 59. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II in [[ 3rd c.BC: Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus 15.50, the Egyptians are called κακὰ παίγνια] Refs 3rd c.BC+], roguish cheats,—unless here it be accusative cognate (dirty tricks) after παίζω.
__III game, Κουρήτων ἐνόπλια π. [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 796b ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: metaphorically, child's play, of an easy task, [[ 3rd c.BC: Euphro Comicus 1.35. ] Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__III.2 comic performance, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 816e, 4th c.BC: Ephippus Comicus 7, 2nd c.AD: Suetonius Grammaticus et Historicus Latinus “Aug.” 99. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III.3 light poem, [[ Anthologia Graeca 6.322 (1st c.AD: Leonidas Alexandrinus Epigrammaticus), 2nd c.BC: Polybius Historicus 16.21.12 ] Refs 2nd c.BC+]; Ὁμήρου, Κράτητος π., [[ 4th c.AD: Julianus Imperator “Orationes” 2.60d, 6.199d ] Refs 4th c.AD+]; title of poems by [[ Philetas, 5th c.AD: Stobaeus, Joannes 2.4.5, +others] Refs 5th c.AD+]; applied to those of Theocritus, [[ 2nd-3rd c.AD: Aelianus “De Natura Animalium - Ar.Byzantine Epit.” 15.19 ] Refs 2nd c.AD+]: metaphorically, of the merry chirp of the cicada, [[“Anthologia Graeca” 7.196.6 (1st c.BC: Meleager Epigrammaticus). ] Refs 1st c.BC+]