ἄπορος

A. without passage, having no way in, out, or through: hence,

I. of places, impassable, πέλαγος, πηλός, Pl. Ti. 25d, Criti. 108e; ὁδός, ὀρη, X. An. 2.4.4, 2.5.18.

II. of states or circumstances, impracticable, difficult, Hdt. 5.3, etc.; ἄ. ἀλγηδών, πάθη, S. OC 513 (lyr.), Ph. 854; τἄπορον ἔτος ib.897; ἄ. χρῆμα E. Or. 70; ἀγών, κίνδυνος, Lys. 7.2 and 39 (Sup.); αἰσχύνη Pl. Lg. 873c; σωτηρία λεπτὴ καὶ ἄ. ib.699b, cf. R. 453d; φόβος Lg. 698b; βίος Men. Kith.Fr. 1.10; νύξ Longin. 9.10:—ἄπορον,τό, and ἄπορα,τά, as Subst., ἐκ τῶν ἀπόρων in the midst of their difficulties, Hdt. 8.53, cf. Pl. Lg. 699b; εὔπορος ἐν τοῖς ἀ. Alex. 234.6; ἄπορα πόριμος A. Pr. 904; ἐν ἀπόροις εἶναι to be in great straits, X. An. 7.6.11; εἰς ἄπορον ἥκειν, πεσεῖν, E. Hel. 813, Ar. Nu. 703; ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἴχοντο, ἦσαν, they were at a loss how to . ., Th. 1.25, 3.22; ἐτεῇ οἷον ἕκαστον γιγνώσκειν ἐν ἀπόσρῳ ἐστί Democr. 8: ἄπορόν [ἐστι] c. inf., Pi. O. 10(11).40, Th. 2.77, Aeschin.Socr. 53, etc.; ἄπορά [ἐστι] Pi. O. 1.52: Comp. ‐ώτερος, ἡ λῆψις Th. 5.110.

2. hard to discover or solve, ἀνεξερεύνητον καὶ ἄπορον Heraclit. 18; ἄ. ἐρωτήσεις, = ἀπορίαι IV, Plu. Alex. 64, Luc. DMort. 10.8; ζήτησις Pl. Plt. 284b; λόγοι D.L. 7.44.

3. hard to get, scarce, ἐν δυστυχίῃ [φίλον εὑρεῖν] πάντων ‐ώτατον Democr. 106; θῦμα Pl. R. 378a; ἄπορα [ὀφλήματα] bad debts, D. 50.9.

III. of persons, hard to deal with, unmanageable, E. Ba. 800, Pl. Ap. 18d (Sup.), cf. Th. 4.32 (Sup.): c. inf., ἄ. προσμίσγειν, προσφέρεσθαι, impossible to have any dealings with, Hdt. 4.46, 9.49; βορῆς ἄνεμος ἄ. against which nothing will avail, which there is no opposing, Id. 6.44; ἄ. τὸ κακὸν καὶ ἀνίκητον Id. 3.52.

2. without means or resources, helpless, ἔρημος, ἄ. S. OC 1735 (lyr.), cf. Ar. Nu. 629, etc.; ἄ. ἐπὶ φρόνιμα S. OT 691 (lyr.); ἐπ’ οὐδέν Id. Ant. 360 (lyr.); ἄ. γνώμῃ Th. 2.59.

3. poor,needy, Id. 1.9, Pl. R. 552a; opp. εὔπορος, Arist. Pol. 1279b9, 1289b30; ἄ. λειτουργεῖν too poor to undertake liturgies, Lys. 31.12, cf. PRyl. 75.5 (ii A.D.), etc.; ἄ. καὶ τῶν ἐλαχίστων κατέστησαν D.Chr. 17.18; also of states of life, δίαιτα ταπεινὴ καὶ ἄ. Pl. Lg. 762e.

IV. Adv. ‐ρως Simon. 46, etc.; τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀ. εἶχε πατρί E. IA 55; ἀ. ἔχει μοι περί τινος Antipho 1.1; ἀ. ἔχειν, c. inf., D.H. 6.14; ἀ. διατεθῆναι Lys. 18.23: Comp. ‐ώτερον Th. 1.82; but ‐ωτέρως διακεῖσθαι Antipho 3.2.1: Sup. ‐ώτατα Pl. Ti. 51b. etc.