ἤπιος

1. of persons, gentle, kind, πατὴρ ὣς ἤπιος αἰεί Il. 24.770, cf. Od. 2.47,234; of a monarch, ἀγανὸς καὶ ἤ. ib.230, 5.8. cf. 14.139; ἡνίοχος Il. 23.281: c. dat. pers., ἐθέλω δέ τοι ἤπιος εἶναι 8.40, cf. Od. 10.337, etc.; ἤ. ἀνθρώποισι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι Hes. Th. 407; ἠπιώτερος τοῦ πατρός Hdt. 5.92.ζ/; of the gods, σωτῆρας . . ἠπίους θ’ ἡμῖν μολεῖν S. Ph. 738; θεὸς ἀνθρώποισιν ‐ώτατος E. Ba. 861; cf. Ar. V. 879 (lyr.); ἐχίδνης οὐδὲν ‐ωτέρα E. Alc. 310; οὐδέ πω ἤπιος appeased, Id. Med. 133: later in Prose, 1 Ep.Thess. 2.7, 2 Ep.Ti. 2.24.

2. of feelings, words, etc., εἴ μοι κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων ἤπια εἰδείη had kindly feeling towards me, Il. 16.73; ὁμῶς δέ τοι ἤπια οἶδε Od. 13.405, cf. 15.557; ἤ. δήνεα οἶδε Il. 4.361; μῦθος ἤ. Od. 20.327; ὀργαί, φρένες, E. Tr. 53, Fr. 362.6; πρὸς τὸ ‐ώτερον καταστῆσαί τινα Th. 2.59.

3. of heat and cold, mild, less intense, τὸ πνῖγος ‐ώτερον γέγονεν Pl. Phdr. 279b, cf. Ti. 85a (Comp.); ἠπιώτεραι αἱ θέρμαι, of a fever, Hp. Epid. 7.1; τὰ τοῦ πυρετοῦ ἤπια ib.5.73; αἰθέριον πῦρ ἤ. ὄν Parm. 8.57; of river-currents, ‐ώτερα ῥεύματα Meno Iatr. 16.26.

II. Act., soothing, assuaging, φάρμακα Il. 4.218, 11.515; opp. ἰσχυρά, Hdt. 3.130, cf.7.142 (Comp.); ἀκέσματα A. Pr. 482; φύλλα S. Ph. 698 (lyr.); ποτήματα soft drinks, opp. φαρμακώδη καὶ δριμέα, Sor. 2.44: Sup., Phld. Ir. p.44 W.

2. ἤπιον ἦμαρ c. inf., a day favourable for beginning a thing, Hes. Op. 787.

III. Adv. ‐ίως Hdt. 7.105,143, S. El. 1439 (lyr.); ἠ. ἀμείψασθαι Hdt. 8.60; χρήσετ’ αὐτή σοι τότ’ ἠ. Men. Epit. 495: Comp. ‐ωτέρως, ἔχειν πρός τινα D. 56.44; ‐ώτερον καὶ κηδεμονικώτερον Phld. Piet. 65: Sup. ‐ωτάτως Hsch.