ἠμί

A. say, the 1st pers. of pres. being used in Att. dialoguein emphaticrepetitions, παῖ ἠμί, παῖ boy Isay, boy! Ar. Nu. 1145, Ra. 37; otherwise only in 3 sg. ἠσί Hermipp. 1, Aeol. ἦσι Sapph. 97, Dor. ἠτί Alcm. 139.

II. impf. ἦν, 3 sg. ἦ (the only part used by Hom., chiefly in Il., always at the end of a speech), ἦ, καὶ ἐπ’ ἀργυρέῃ κώπῃ σχέθε χεῖρα he spake and . . , Il. 1.219, etc.; ἦ ῥα, καὶ ἀμπεπαλὼν προΐει . . ἔγχος 3.355, etc.; rarely with the subject expressed, ἦ ῥα γυνὴ ταμίη 6.390, cf. Theoc. 22.75: freq. in Att. in the phrases ἦν δ’ ἐγώ said I, Pl. R. 327c, etc.; ἦ δ’ ὅς said he, Cratin. 192, etc.; ἦ δ’ ὃς λέγων Ar. V. 795; ἦ δ’ ἥ Pl. Smp. 205c; with the subject repeated, ἦ δ’ ὃς ὁ Γλαύκων Id. R. 327b, etc.; later without ὅς, ἦ δ’ ὁ Νεῖλος Philostr. V A 6.16. (Cf. Lat. aio, ad-agium: ἦ fr. Ἦκτ, hence ἠμί etc. on analogy of φῆ: φημί, etc.)