ὁπότερος

ὁπότερ-ος, α, ον, [dialect] Ep. [full] ὁππότερος, as always in Hom. ; [dialect] Ion. [full] ὁκότερος Hdt.5.119 :—correlat. to πότερος, used in sg. of individuals, in pl. of groups, e.g. of two armies, Il.3.299,5.33 :

1 as Relat., which of two,

ἡμέων δ' ὁπποτέρῳ θάνατος . . τέτυκται, τεθναίη Il.3.101

: with ἄν, [dialect] Ep. κε, whichsoever, ὁππότερος δέ κε νικήσῃ ib.71 ;

ὁπότερ' ἂν κτίσῃς A.Supp.434

(lyr.) ;

ὁπότεροι ἂν κρατῶσιν X.Cyr.4.2.37

.

2 as indirect interrog.,

Ζεὺς οἶδε . . , ὁπποτέρῳ θανάτοιο τέλος πεπρωμένον ἐστίν Il.3.309

, cf. 22.130,23.487 ; περὶ τοῦ ὁκότερος ἡμέων πλέω ἀγαθὰ . . ἐργάσεται about the question, which of us two . . , Hdt.8.79 ;

ὥστε μὴ γνῶναι ὁπότερος . . Lys.Fr.78.3

, cf. Antipho 3.2.6 ; ἀσαφῶς ὁποτέρων ἀρξάντων, for ἀσαφὲς ὂν ὁπότεροι ἦρξαν, Th.4.20 : rarely in direct questions, for πότερος, prob. f.l. in Pl.Euthd.271a and Ly.212c.

3 as indef., either of two,

ἐὰν . . ὁπότερος αὐτοῖν . . πράξῃ Id.Lg.868a

, cf. R. 509a, X.Cyr.3.2.22, And.3.26, D.16.27 ; so

ὁποτεροσοῦν Pl.Men.98d

, Phlb.14c, al.;

ἐξεῖναι δ' ὁποτεροισοῦν Th.5.41

, cf. Arist.Pol.1319b9, al. : with οὐδέ, οὐδ' ὁπότερος (or οὐδοπ-) neither, Hero Dioptr.37.

II Adv. [full] ὁποτέρως, in which of two ways, as Relat. and indirect interrog.,

ὁ. ἔσται, ἐν ἀδήλῳ κινδυνεύεται Th.1.78

, cf. Lys.26.5, Isoc.12.76, Pl. R.348b, etc. ; so

ὁποτερωσοῦν Arist.APr.60a16

, al.

2 also neut. ὁπότερον or -ερα as Adv., mostly in indirect questions, whether, folld. by ἢ . . ἤ . . , as

ἐβουλεύοντο ὁκότερα ἢ παραδόντες . . ἢ ἐκλιπόντες . . , ἄμεινον πρήξουσι Hdt.5.119

; by one ἤ, Ar.Nu.157 : folld. by πότερον . . ἤ . . , Pl.Erx.405c, etc.; also

ὁπότερον εἴτε . . , εἴτε . . Isoc.12.76

, cf. X.HG3.5.19.