ἤ

ἤ (A), [dialect] Ep. also [full] ἠέ (in signf. A.11 ἤ (or ἠέ) folld. by ἦ (or ἦε), v. infr.), Conj. with two chief senses, Disj. (

A or) and [comp] Comp. (than).

A DISJUNCTIVE, or,

ἐγὼ . . ἢ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν Il.2.231

, cf. 397,800, 4.142, 7.236, al.;

θεόσυτος ἢ βρότειος ἢ κεκραμένη A.Pr.116

.

2 ἢ . . ἤ either . . or,

ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντ' ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα Il.1.27

, cf. 151, 5.484, etc.; so

ἢ . . ἤτοι . . Pi.N.6.4

, Fr.138;

ἤτοι . . ἤ . . A.Ag.662

, S. Ant.1182, Th.2.40, etc. (in Classical Gr. the alternative introduced by ἤτοι is emphasized, later no distn. is implied, Ep.Rom.6.16;

ἤτοι . . ἢ . . ἤ . . PTeb.5.59

(ii B.C.)); ἤ repeated any number of times,

ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας ἢ Ὀδυσῆος Il.1.138

, cf. Od.15.84, S.Ant.707; ἤ is prob. wrongly accented in codd. of Il.2.289, Od.3.348, 19.109, v. ἦ Adv.1.3:

ἢ πόλις βροτός θ' ὁμοίως A.Eu.524

(lyr.) is exceptional.

3 or else, otherwise,

εἰδέναι δεῖ περὶ οὗ ἂν ᾖ ἡ βουλή, ἢ παντὸς ἁμαρτάνειν ἀνάγκη Pl.Phdr.237c

;

μή με λυπεῖτε, ἢ φεύξομ' ἐκ τῆς οἰκίης Herod.5.74

; ζῶντα κακῶς λέγειν ἐκώλυσε . . , ἢ τρεῖς δραχμὰς ἀποτίνειν ἔταξε Lex Sol. ap. Plu.Sol.21, cf. 24, IG12.94.10, Them.Or.21.260a.

II in Questions or Deliberations in Disj. form(the accentuation is ἢ ([etym.] ἠέ) folld. by ἦ ([etym.] ἦε), Hdn. Gr.2.24, al., A.D.Conj.224.28):

1 Direct questions,

a introduced by ἢ (ἠέ) , ἢ δολιχὴ νοῦσος ἦ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα . . κατέπεφνεν; Od.11.172; ἤ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἦ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε . . ; 3.72, cf. 1.408, 16.462, Il.6.378, 15.735, 16.12, etc.

b without an introductory Particle, θεός νύ τις ἦ βροτός ἐσσι; art thou a goddess or a mortal? Od.6.149, cf. 1.226, 4.314,372,643, 20.130, 21.194, Il.10.63,425,534, 15.203: accented ἦ, Hdn.Gr.2.145, al., but ἤ freq. in codd. of Hom. and always in codd. of later writers: ἤκουσας ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσας ἢ κωφῇ λέγω; A.Th.202; ἄρτι δὲ ἥκεις ἢ πάλαι; Pl.Cri.43a; κακουργεῖν δεῖ ἢ οὔ; ib.49c; preceded by πότερον, πότερον δοκεῖ σοι κάκιον εἶναι, τὸ ἀδικεῖν ἢ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι; Id.Grg.474c, etc.

2 Indirect questions, freq. epexegetic of a preceding question and identical in form with direct questions.

a

εἴπ' ἄγε, . . ἤ ῥ' ἐθέλει . . , ἦ ἀπέειπε . . Il.9.674

;

ὄφρα δαῶμεν ἢ ἐτεὸν Κάλχας μαντεύεται ἦε καὶ οὐκί 2.300

;

διάνδιχα μερμήριξεν ἢ ὅ γε . . ἐναρίζοι ἦε χόλον παύσειεν 1.190

; later with

εἰ . . ἤ A.Ch.890

,Ag.478, S.OC80, etc.; πότερον or

πότερα . . ἤ . . Id.Pers.148

, 352, Ag.630, etc.; sts.

εἴτε . . ἤ E.El.897

;

ἢ . . εἴτε S.Aj. 177

.

b without introductory Particle,

οὐδέ τι οἶδα ζώει ὅ γ' ἦ τέθνηκε Od.11.464

, cf. Il.10.546, Od.24.238.

B COMPARATIVE, than, as, after a [comp] Comp., Il.11.162, etc.: after positive Adjs. which imply comparison, ἄλλος, ἕτερος ἤ . . , S.OT595, Tr.835(lyr.);

ἐναντίος ἤ Pl.Grg.481c

; ἴδιόν τι πάσχειν πάθος ἢ οἱ ἄλλοι ibid.: after Advbs. or adverbial phrases, πλήν, πρίν, πρόσθεν, χωρίς (qq. v.), ἀλλά (v. ἀλλ' ἤ)

; τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἤ . . Id.Cri.44a

(f.l. in Smp.173a);

ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ ϝέτει ἀπὸ τῶ ποτεχεῖ ϝέτεος ἢ Ἀριστίων ἐφορεύει Tab.Heracl.1.121

;

παρὰ δόξαν ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς κατεδόκεε Hdt.1.79

, cf. 8.4;

διαφερόντως ἤ . . Pl.Phd.85b

; οὐδ' ὅσον ἤ . . not so much as . . , not more than . . , Theoc.9.21: after Verbs implying comparison, βούλεσθαι ἤ . . to wish rather than . . , v. βούλομαι IV,

αἱρέω B. 11.1b

; so φθάνειν ἤ . . to come sooner than . . , Il.23.445, Od.11.58;

ἐπιθυμεῖν ἤ . . X.Cyr.1.4.3

;

δέχεσθαι ἤ . . Lys.10.21

: less freq. after a word not implying comparison, δίκαιον ἡμέας ἔχειν . . (sc. μᾶλλον)

ἤ περ Ἀθηναίους Hdt.9.26

;

ἐμοὶ πικρὸς . . ἢ κείνοις γλυκύς S.Aj.966

(s.v.l.);

δεδικαιωμένος ἢ ἐκεῖνος Ev.Luc.18.14

.

2 joining two Comparatives which refer to the same subject,

πάντες κ' ἀρησαίατ' ἐλαφρότεροι πόδας εἶναι ἢ ἀφνειότεροι Od.1.165

;

ταχύτερα ἢ σοφώτερα Hdt.3.65

;

μανικώτεροι ἢ ἀνδρειότεροι Pl.Tht.144b

, cf. Ar.Ach.1078.

3 rarely after a [comp] Sup.,

πλεῖστα θωμάσια ἔχει Αἴγυπτος ἢ ἄλλη πᾶσα χώρη Hdt.2.35

(s.v.l.);

πίθοιτό κεν ὔμμι μάλιστα ἢ ἐμοί A.R.3.91

.

4 ἢ οὐ is used when a neg. precedes,

οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον ἐπ' ἡμέας ἢ οὐ καὶ ἐπ' ὑμέας Hdt.4.118

, cf.5.94, Th.2.62, etc.: after an implied neg.,

ὠμὸν . . πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους Id.3.36

.

5 freq. omitted with numerals after πλείων, ἐλάττων, μείων, ἔτη . . πλείω ἑβδομήκοντα v.l. in Pl.Ap.17d;

οὐ μεῖον πεντακοσίους X.An.6.4.24

: sts. with an inf. or conditional clause,

τί γὰρ ἀνδρὶ κακὸν μεῖζον ἁμαρτεῖν E.Alc. 879

; τίς εὐπραξία σπανιωτέρα . . , εἰ [δύναμις] πάρεστιν (for ἢ δύναμιν παρεῖναι); Th.1.33.

6 pleon. with a gen.,

τίς ἂν αἰσχίων εἴη ταύτης δόξα, ἢ δοκεῖν . . Pl.Cri.44c

, cf. Lys.10.28.

7 the Disj. and [comp] Comp. uses are found together in Il.15.511 βέλτερον, ἢ ἀπολέσθαι ἕνα χρόνον ἠὲ βιῶναι, ἢ δηθὰ στρεύγεσθαι ἐν αἰνῆ δηϊοτῆτι better, either to die once for all or win life, than long to toil in battle. [ἢ οὐ, ἢ οὐκ combine by Synizesis into one syll. in Trag. and Com., A.Pr.330, S.Aj.334, Ar.Lys.128; so usually in [dialect] Ep., Od.1.298, al.;

ἢ αὐτός Hes.Fr.194

;

ἢ εἰ Alex.201

.]

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ἤ (B), an exclamation expressing disapproval,

A

ἢ ἢ σιώπα Ar.Nu. 105

; ἢ ἤ· τί δρᾶς; E.HF906(lyr.), cf. Suid.

2 to call attention, ποῦ Ξανθίας; ἢ Ξανθία where's Xanthias? hi, Xanthias! Ar.Ra.271.

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ἤ (or [full] ἦ) (C), Cypr. for

A if, Inscr.Cypr.135.6H.

2 Cret. for when, after, ἤ κ' ἀποστᾷ μωλῆν after retiring, he shall take proceedings, Leg.Gort.1.52; ἐν ταῖς τριάκοντα ἤ κα ϝείποντι within 30 days from the time of their proclamation, ib.8.18.