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, IG12.94.10, 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 (ἠέ), 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.OC80, 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.OT595, 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 ϝέτει ἀπὸ τῶ ποτεχεῖ ϝέτεος 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.
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.]