ἤ

A. or) and 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, IG 12.94.10, Them. Or. 21.260a.

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

1. Direct questions,

a. introduced by ἢ (ἠἔ, 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. OC 80, 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., Il. 11.162, etc.: after positive Adjs. which imply comparison, ἄλλος, ἕτερος ἤ . ., S. OT 595, 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 vέτει ἀπὸ τῶ ποτεχεῖ vέτεος 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 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. 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 Ep., Od. 1.298, al.; ἢ αὐτός Hes. Fr. 194; ἢ εἰ Alex. 201.]