Lexical Definition

‎τρέφω‎ tréphō (tref'-o) to feed ^G:V
a primary verb (properly,

bring up, feed, nourish.

• but perhaps strengthened from the base of ‎τροπή‎ through the idea of convolution)
• properly, to stiffen, i.e. fatten (by implication, to cherish (with food, etc.), pamper, rear)

Abbott-Smith

τρέφω [in LXX for חָיָה hi., גָּדַל pi., אָכַל hi., etc. ;]
1. to make to grow, bring up, rear (cl.; I Mac 3:33 11:39): Lk 4:16 (T, WH, mg., ἀνατ-)
2. to nourish, feed: Mt 6:26 25:37, Lk 12:24, Ac 12:20, Re 12:6, 14; of a mother, to give suck, Lk 23:29; of animals, to fatten (Je 26 (46):21), fig., Ja 5:5 (cf. ἀνα-, ἐκ-, ἐν-τρέφω).†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

τρέφω,

[Refs 8th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τράφω (see. entry); 1st pers. singular optative τρέφοιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future θρέψω [Refs]aorist 1 ἔθρεψα, Epic dialect θρέψα [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 2 ἔτρᾰφον (see. infr. B): perfect τέτροφα intransitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+] —middle, future θρέψομαι in passive sense, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐθρεψάμην [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.:—passive, future τρᾰφήσομαι Ps.-[Refs 4th c.BC+], etc., but in early writers in middle form θρέψομαι (see. above): aorist 1 ἐθρέφθην, Epic dialect θρέφθη [Refs 8th c.BC+], rare in Trag. and Attic dialect, [Refs 6th c.BC+]aorist 2 ἐτράφην [ᾰ] [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἔτραφεν, τράφεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect τέθραμμαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; 2nd pers. plural τέθραφθε [Refs 5th c.BC+] [assuming variant] in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive τεθράφθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__I thicken or congeal a liquid, γάλα θρέψαι curdle it, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τρέφε (imperfect) πίονατυρόν [Refs 3rd c.BC+] —passive, with perfect active τέτροφα, curdle, congeal, γάλα τρεφόμενον τυρὸν ἐργάζεσθαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__II usually, cause to grow or increase, bring up, rear, especially of children bred and brought up in a house, ὅ σ᾽ ἔτρεφε τυτθὸν ἐόντα [Refs 8th c.BC+] bring up in a certain way, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—middle, rear for oneself, θρέψαιό τε φαίδιμον υἱόν [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—passive, to be reared, grow up, ὅς μοι τηλύγετος τρέφεται θαλίῃ ἔνι πολλῇ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κάρτιστοι τράφεν ἀνδρῶν grew up the strongest men, [Refs]:—properly a boy was called τρεφόμενος only so long as he remained in the charge of the women, i. e. till his fifth year, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐξ ὅτου 'τράφην ἐγώ from the time when I left the nursery, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but even of pre-natal growth, ἐν σκότοισινηδύος τεθραμμένη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὅπως πατρὸς δείξεις οἷος ἐξ οἵου τράφης[Refs] true nurslings of your mothers, implying a reproach for unmanliness (assuming variant), [Refs 4th c.BC+]; μιᾶς τρέφει πρὸς νυκτός art nursed by night alone, i. e. art blind, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.2 of slaves, cattle, dogs and the like, rear and keep them, κύνας [Refs 8th c.BC+]; λέοντος ἶνιν (see. σίνις) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ τρέφοντες (i.e. τοὺς ἐλέφαντας) the keepers, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. [ἑταίραν], [πόρνας], keep.., [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ τρέφων one's master, [Refs 4th c.BC+] he keeps a sea-beach in the house, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, to be bred, reared, δοῦλος οὐκ ὠνητός, ἀλλ᾽ οἴκοι τραφείς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τῇ σῇ οἰκίᾳ γέγονεν καὶ τέθραπται was born and bred, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ἀγαθῖνον θρεμένον (i. e. τεθρεμμένον, ={θρεπτόν}, see at {θρεπτός} [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; Νείκην τὴν θρεμένην μου [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__II.3 tend, cherish, τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ φίλεόν τε καὶ ἔτρεφον, of Calypso, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of plants, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__II.4 of parts of the body, let grow, cherish, foster, χαίτην.. Σπερχειῷ τρέφε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τ. κόμην, ={κομᾶν}, [Refs 5th c.BC+] things which put fat on swine, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__II.5 in Poets, of earth and sea, breed, produce, teem with, οὐδὲν ἀκιδνότερον γαῖα τ. ἀνθρώποιο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὃν πόντος τ., i. e. the sailors, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: rare in Prose, ἀεί τι ἡ Αιβύη τρέφει καινόν [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__II.6 in Poets also, simply, have within oneself, contain, ὅ τι καὶ πόλις τέτροφεν ἄφιλον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τρέφειν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡσυχαιτέραν to keep his tongue more quiet, [τρέφω [prev. author] “OT” 356 (so in 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus, τ. ἰσχυρὸν τὸ ἐλεινόν “R.” 606b); τ. νόσον 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 795; ἐκ φόβου φόβον τ. [prev. author] “Tr.” 28; ἄταν [prev. author] “Aj.” 644 (Lyric poetry)">Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἵας λατρείας.. τρέφει what services.. she has as her lot, [Refs]; ἐν ἐλπίσιν τρέφω.. ἥξειν I cherish hopes that.., [Refs]; τὸν Καδμογενῆ τρέφει.. βιότου πολύπονον [πέλαγος] is his daily lot, [Refs]; πόνοι τρέφοντες βροτούς [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III maintain, support, τ. ἀνδρὸς μόχθος ἡμένας ἔσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; γάλακτι, τυρῷ, κρέασι τ., [Refs]; σίτῳ, ὄψῳ, [Refs]; feed a patient, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; provide the food for an employee, σοῦ τρέφοντος αὐτόν, ἐμοῦ δὲ ἱματίζοντος αὐτόν [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; also τ. ἀπό τινος [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III.2 maintain an army or fleet, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. τὰς ναῦς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τ. τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀπὸ τῶν νήσων[Refs]
__III.3 of land, feed, maintain one, τρέφει γὰρ οὗτος [ὁ ἀγρὸς].. με [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__III.4 of women, feed or suckle an infant, συνεξομοιοῦται τὰ τρεφόμενα ταῖς τρεφούσαις [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; ἡ τρέφουσα, ={ἡ τροφός}, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__III.5 of food, nourish, τὰ Ἡρακλεωτικὰ τρέφει οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀμυγδάλοις [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__IV bring up, rear, educate, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἡ θρέψασα (i.e. γῆ) the motherland, [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, ἐθρέψω Ξέρξην ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἤθεσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ θρεψαμένη one's motherland, [Refs 4th c.BC+] —passive, ὀρθῶς, εὖ τραφῆναι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παιδείᾳ, ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ παιδείᾳ τ., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__V the passive sometimes came to mean little more than to be, ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ πολέμιον ἐτράφη (i.e. τὸ γένος) [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 2 active ἔτραφον in passive sense (which is to τρέφομαι, τέτροφα (intransitive) as ἔδρακον to δέρκομαι, δέδορκα, etc.), ὃς.. ἔτραφ᾽ ἄριστος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τραφέμεν (Epic dialect for τραφεῖν)[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπεὶ τράφ᾽ ἐνὶ μεγάρῳ, i. e. when he was well-grown, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—as transitive the aorist 2 is used by [Refs 8th c.BC+]imperfect:—ἐτράφην is perhaps post-Homeric; 3rd.pers. singular τράφη is see reading in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (περ) variants in [Refs]; 3rd.pers. plural ἔτραφεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τράφεν in all codices of [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the vox nihili ἐτράφεμεν, found in [Refs 8th c.BC+] as cited by [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—the reduplicate 3rd.pers. singular τέτραφ᾽ [Refs 8th c.BC+], 3rd.pers. plural τέτραφεν [Refs], are ff. lines, though found in many codices Later this aorist became obsolete, except in Epic dialect imitators, as in [Refs 3rd c.BC+]