About
Menu

ἔπος

ἔπος, ἔπος, ἔπους, τό, word; (pl., sometimes) epic poetry

ἔπος, older ϝέπος SIG 9 (v. infr.), etc., εος, τό (Skt. vácas ‘word’, ‘hymn’, cf. εἶπον):
    • I word, παύρῳ ἔπει in short utterance, Pi. O. 13.98; ἐπέων κόσμος Parm. 8.52, Democr. 21; ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν S. OC 443; λόγοι ἔπεσι κοσμηθέντες Th. 3.67: generally, that which is uttered in words, speech, tale, ἔπος ἐρέειν Il. 3.83, etc.; φάσθαι Xenoph. 7.3, Parm. 1.23, etc.; joined with μῦθος, Od. 4.597, 11.561.—Special uses,
      • 1 song or lay accompanied by music, 8.91, 17.519.
      • 2 pledged word, promise, Il. 8.8; τελέσαι ἔπος fulfil, keep oneʼs word, 14.44, cf. A. Pr. 1033.
      • 3 word in season, counsel, Il. 1.216, 2.807, Od. 18.166, etc.; freq. in Trag., E. Hel. 513, etc.
      • 4 word of a deity, oracle, Od. 12.266, Hdt. 1.13, etc.
      • 5 saying, proverb, τὸ παλαιὸν ἔπος Id. 7.51, cf. Ar. Av. 507.
      • 6 word, opp. deed, ἔπεʼ ἀκράαντα words of none effect, opp. ἔτυμα, Od. 19.565, cf. E. HF 111 (lyr.); opp. ἔργον, Il. 15.234, Od. 2.272, etc., cf. II.1; αἴτε ϝέπος αἴτε ϝάργον SIG 9 (Elis, vi B.C.); opp. βίη, Il. 15.106; opp. χεῖρες, 1.77 (pl.).
      • 7 subject of a speech, message, 11.652, 17.701, S. OT 1144, etc.
    • II later usages,
      • 1 joined with ἔργον or πρᾶγμα Heraclit. 1, A. Pers. 174 (troch.), Ar. Eq. 39, etc.; ἔργῳ τε καὶ ἔπει Pl. Lg. 879c; ἅμα ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐποίεε Hdt. 3.134; χρηστὰ ἔργα καὶ ἔπεα ποιέειν Id. 1.90.
      • 2 κατʼ ἔπος word by word, κατʼ ἔ. βασανιεῖν φησι τὰς τραγῳδίας Ar. Ra. 802.
      • 3 πρὸς ἔπος at the first word, Luc. Ep.Sat. 37.
        • b word in exchange for word, ἀμείβεσθαι, ἀποκρίνεσθαι, of an oracle, Id. Alex. 19, Philops. 38; also ἔ. δʼ ἀμείβου πρὸς ἔ. A. Eu. 586, cf. Ar. Nu. 1375, Pl. Sph. 217d.
        • c οὐδὲν πρὸς ἔ. to no purpose, Ar. Ec. 751; also, nothing to the purpose, ἐὰν μηδὲν πρὸς ἔ. ἀποκρίνωμαι Pl. Euthd. 295c, cf. Luc. Herm. 36; τί πρὸς ἔπος; Pl. Phlb. 18d.
      • 4 ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν almost, practically, qualifying a too absolute expression, esp. with πᾶς and οὐδείς (not with metaphors), Pl. Ap. 17a, Phd. 78e, Grg. 456a, al., Arist. Metaph. 1009b16, Pol. 1252b29, D. 9.47, etc.; opp. ὄντως or ἀκριβεῖ λόγῳ, Pl. Lg. 656e, R. 341b; later ὡς ἔ. ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν POxy. 67.14(iv A.D.); in Trag., ὡς εἰπεῖν ἔ. A. Pers. 714 (troch.), E. Heracl. 167, Hipp. 1162, once in Pl.,Lg. 967b (s.v.l.).
      • 5 ἑνὶ ἔπει in one word, briefly, ἑνὶ ἔπεϊ πάντα συλλαβόντα λέγειν Hdt. 3.82.
    • III of single words, esp. with ref. to etymology or usage, Id. 2.30, Ar. Nu. 638, Pl. Prt. 339a, etc.; ὀρθότης ἐπῶν, = ὀρθοέπεια (q.v.), Ar. Ra. 1181; ἄριστʼ ἐπῶν ἔχον ib. 1161.
    • IV in pl., epic poetry, opp. μέλη (lyric poetry), ἰαμβεῖα, διθύραμβοι, etc., ῥαπτῶν ἐπέων ἀοιδοί Pi. N. 2.2; τὰ Κύπρια ἔπεα Hdt. 2.117, cf. Th. 1.3, X. Mem. 1.4.3, Pl. R. 379a, etc.; ἔπεά τε ποιεῖν πρὸς λύραν τʼ ἀείδειν Theoc. Ep. 21.6; νικήσας ἔπος IG 3.1020; ποητὴς ἐπῶν ib. 7.3197.9 (Orchom. Boeot.), cf. OGI 51.37 (Egypt, iii B.C.).
        • b generally, poetry, even lyrics, Alcm. 25 (prob.), Pi. O. 3.8, etc.
        • c lines, verses, esp. of spoken lines in the drama, Ar. Ra. 862, 956, etc.: sg., verse, line of poetry, Hdt. 4.29, Pl. Min. 319d; group of verses, Id. R. 386c, Hdt. 7.143.
        • d lines of writing, μυρίων ἐπῶν μῆκος Isoc. 12.136; ἐν ὅλοις ἑπτὰ ἔπεσι παραδραμεῖν, of a historian, Luc. Hist.Conscr. 28.

Saved

Recent