I. with single words, at least, at any rate, but often only to be rendered by italics in writing, or emphasis in pronunciation: τὸ γὰρ . . σιδήρου γε κράτος ἐστίν such is the power of iron, Od.9.393; εἴ που πτωχῶν γε θεοὶ . . εἰσίν if the poor have any gods to care for them, 17.475; “μάλιστά γε” 4.366; ὅ γ᾽ ἐνθάδε λεώς at any rate the people here, S.OC42, etc.: with negs., οὐ δύο γε not even two, Il.5.303, 20.286; οὔκουν φθόγγος γε not the least sound, E.IA9.
2. with Pronouns: with Pron. of 1st Pers. so closely joined, that the accent is changed, in ἔγωγε, ἔμοιγε (also ἔγωγα Lacon., but ἐγώνγα, ἰώνγα Boeot.): in Hom. freq. with Art. used as Pron., v. ὅ γε: with demonstr. Pronouns, κεῖνός γε, τοῦτό γε, etc.: in Com. coalescing with -ί final, “αὑτηγί” Ar.Ach.784; τουτογί, ταυταγί, etc., Id.V.781, Pax1057, etc. (but “ἐνγεταυθί” Th.646): after possess. Pronouns, “ἐμόν γε θυμόν” Il.20.425, etc.: freq. after relat. Pronouns, ὅς γε, οἵ γε, etc., “οἵ γέ σου καθύβρισαν” S.Ph.1364; “ὅς γ᾽ ἐξέλυσας δασμόν” Id.OT35, etc.; ὅσον γε χρῄζεις even as much as . . , ib.365; “οἷόν γέ μοι φαίνεται” Pl.R.329a: rarely with interrog. Pronouns, “τίνα γε . . εἶπας” ; E.Tr.241; “ποίου γε τούτου πλήν γ᾽ Ὀδυσσέως ἐρεῖς” ; S.Ph.441.
3. after Conjunctions, to emphasize the modification or condition introduced by the subjoined clause, πρίν γε, before at least, sts. repeated, “οὐ μὲν . . ὀΐω πρίν γ᾽ ἀποπαύσεσθαι, πρίν γε . . αἵματος ἆσαι Ἀρῆα” Il.5.288, cf. Od.2.127; πρὶν ἄν γε or πρίν γ᾽ ἄν, Ar.Eq.961, Ra.78, etc.; “ὅτε γε” Pl.Phd.84e; “ὁπότε γε” S.OC1699; “ἐπεί γε” X.An.1.3.9; “ἐπειδή γε” Th.6.18; “ὅπου γε” X.Cyr.2.3.11; εἴ γε, ἐάν γε, if that is to say, if really, Th.6.18, Pl.Phdr.25<*>c; also simply to lay stress on the condition, κἄν γε μὴ λέγω and if I do not . . , Ar.Ach.317; εἴπερ γε if at any rate, Hdt.7.16.γ́, 143, etc.; ὥστε γε (v.l. ὥς γε), with inf., so far at least as to . . , Pl.Phdr.230b; “ὥς γ᾽ ἐμοὶ χρῆσθαι κριτῇ” E.Alc.801; ὥς γε or ὥσπερ γε as at least, S.Ant.570, OT715, etc.:—γε may follow τε, when τε is closely attached to the preceding word, “ὡς οἷόν τέ γε μάλιστα” X.Mem.4.5.2, Pl.R.412b; “ἐάντε γε” Id.Plt.293d; “οἵ τέ γε” Id.Grg. 454e:—for its use in opposed or disjunctive clauses, v. infr. 11.3.
4. after other Particles, καὶ μὴν . . γε, οὐ μὴν . . γε, with words intervening, X.Mem.1.4.12, E.Alc.518, etc.; after ἄν in apodosi, when preceded by οὐ or καί, Id.Ph.1215, Or.784; ἄταρ . . γε but yet, Ar.Ach. 448; καίτοι γε, v. καί τοι; ἀλλά γε (without intervening words) is f.l. in Pl.Hp.Ma.287b (leg. ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε), R.331b (ἀλλά γε ἕν codd., “ἀλλὰ ἕν γε” Stob.); ἀλλά γε δή dub. in Id.Phdr.262a; later, Plu.2.394c, Ael.NA10.49 codd.: but,
5. when preceding other Particles, γε commonly refers to the preceding word, while the Particle retains its own force: but sts. modifies the sense of the following Particle, γε μήν nevertheless, “πάντως γε μήν” Ar.Eq.232, cf. E.El.754, X., etc.; Ep. and Ion. “γε μέν” Il.2.703, Od.4.195, Hdt.7.152; “γε μὲν δή” A.Ag. 661, S.Tr.484; “γε μέντοι” Pl.Tht.164a, X.An.2.3.9, etc.: γε δή freq. strengthens an assertion, A.Pr.42, Th.2.62, etc.; “οἰόμεθά γε δή” Pl.Euthd.275a (cf. also 11.1); γέ τοι, implying that the assertion is the least that one can say, Ar.V.934, Pl.424,1041, etc.; “γέ τοι” Pl. Grg.447b; “γέ τοι δή” S.OT1171, Pl.Phdr.264b; “γέ τοί που” Id.Lg. 888e; “γε δήπου” Id.Phd.94a, etc.; γέ που at all events, any how, Ar. Ach.896, Pl.R.607d, 478a, etc.; for γε οὖν, v. γοῦν.
II. exercising an influence over the whole clause:
1. epexegetic, namely, that is, Διός γε διδόντος that is if God grant it, Od.1.390; κλῦθι, Ποσείδαον . . , εἰ ἐτεόν γε σός εἰμι if indeed I am really thine, 9.529: hence to limit, strengthen or amplify a general assertion, ἀνὴρ . . ὅστις πινυτός γε any man—at least any wise man, 1.229; freq. preceded by καί, usu. with words intervening, ἦ μὴν κελεύσω κἀπιθωΰξω γε πρός ay and besi <*>es that . . , A.Pr.73; παρῆσάν τινες καὶ πολλοί γε some, ay and a great many, Pl.Phd.58d; “καὶ γελοίως γε” Id.R.531a; freq. with the last term in an enumeration, “ταύτῃ ἄρα . . πρακτέον καὶ γυμναστέον καὶ ἐδεστέον γε καὶ ποτέον” Id.Cri. 47b; “ὄψεις τε καὶ ἀκοαὶ καὶ . . καὶ ἡδοναί γε δή” Id.Tht.156b; repeated, “συνήγαγόν μοι καί γε ἀργύριον καί γε χρυσίον” LXX Ec.2.8; rarely without intervening words, “καί γε ὁ θάνατος διὰ τὴν μοίρην ἔλαχεν” Hp.Septim.9, cf. Lys.11.7 codd.; “καί γε . . ἐκχεῶ” Act.Ap.2.18: hence,
2. in dialogue, in answers where something is added to the statement of the previous speaker, as ἔπεμψέ τίς σοι . . κρέα; Answ. καλῶς γε ποιῶν yes and quite right too, Ar.Ach.1049; κενὸν τόδ᾽ ἄγγος, ἢ στέγει τι; Answ. σά γ᾽ ἔνδυτα . . yes indeed, your clothes, E.Ion1412; οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα δηχθείη πόσις. Answ. σὺ δ᾽ ἂν γένοιο γ᾽ ἀθλιωτάτη γυνή yes truly, and you . . , Id.Med.817, cf. S.OT 680, etc.; πάνυ γε yes certainly, Pl.Euthphr.8e, etc.; οὕτω γέ πως yes somehowso, Id.Tht.165c; sts. preceded by καί, καὶ οὐδέν γ᾽ ἄτοπον yes and no wonder, ib.142b, cf. d, 147e; sts. ironically, “εὖ γε κηδεύεις πόλιν” E.IT1212.
3. to heighten a contrast or opposition,
a. after conditional clauses, εἰ μὲν δὴ σύ γ᾽ . . , τῷ κε Ποσειδάων γε . . if you do so, then at all events Poseidon will . . , Il.15.49 sq.; ἐπεὶ πρὸς τοῦτο σιωπᾶν ἥδιόν σοι . . τόδε γε εἰπέ at any rate tell me this, X.Cyr. 5.5.20; “εἰ μὴ τὸ ὅλον, μέρος γ᾽ ἐπιβάλλει” D.18.272:—sts. in the protasis, εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἑκόντες γε . . ἀλλ᾽ ἀέκοντας . . Hdt.4.120.
b. in disjunctive sentences to emphasize an alternative, ἤτοι κεῖνόν γε . . δεῖ ἀπόλλυσθαι ἢ σέ . . Id.1.11; “ἤτοι κρίνομέν γε ἢ ἐνθυμούμεθα ὀρθῶς τὰ πράγματα” Th.2.40; “πατὴρ δ᾽ ἐμός . . ζώει ὅ γ᾽ ἢ τέθνηκε” Od.2.131, cf. Il.10.504: also in the second clause, “εἰπέ μοι, ἠὲ ἑκὼν ὑποδάμνασαι ἤ σέ γε λαοὶ ἐχθαίρουσι” Od.3.214, cf. Hdt.7.10.θ́, S.OT1098 sq.
4. in exclamations, etc., ὥς γε μή ποτ᾽ ὤφελον λαβεῖν dub. in E.IA70, cf. S.OC977, Ph.1003, Ar.Ach.93,836, etc.; in oaths, οὔτοι μὰ τὴν Δήμητρά γ᾽ v.l. in Ar.Eq.698; “μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ γ᾽ οὐδέποτ᾽” Id.Ec.748; “καὶ ναὶ μὰ Δία γε” X.Ap.20; “καὶ νὴ Δία γε” Ar.Eq.1350, D.Chr.17.4, Luc. Merc.Cond.28, Lib.Or.11.59, etc.: with words intervening, καὶ νὴ Δί᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἕτεροί γε . . D.13.16; “νὴ Δία, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὥρα γε ὑμῖν” X.HG7.1.37; merely in strong assertions, τίς ἂν φιλέοντι μάχοιτο; ἄφρων δὴ κεῖνός γέ . . Od.8.209, etc.
5. implying concession, εἶμί γε well then I will go (in apodosi), E.HF861; “δρᾶ γ᾽ εἴ τι δράσεις” Id.IA817, cf. Andr.239.
III. γε freq. repeated in protasis and apodosis, as πρίν γε . . , πρίν γε, v. supr. 1.3; “εἰ μή γε . . τινὶ μείζονι, τῇ γε παρούσῃ ἀτιμίᾳ” Lys.31.29; even in the same clause, “οὐδέν γ᾽ ἄλλο πλήν γε καρκίνους” Ar.V.1507, cf. Hdt.1.187, E.Ph.554, Pl.R.335b, Grg.502a.
IV. POSITION: γε normally follows the word which it limits; but is freq. placed immediately after the Article, as “ὅ γε πόλεμος” Th.1.66, etc.; or the Prep., “κατά γε τὸν σὸν λόγον” X.Cyr.3.1.15; “ἔν γε ταῖς Θήβαις” S.OT1380; or “δέ, νῦν δέ γε” Pl.Tht.144e; τὸ δέ γε ib.164b; “δοῖμεν δέ γέ που ἄν” Id.R.607d, cf. Phd.94a, etc.; freq. in retorts, ἁμές ποκ᾽ ἦμες ἄλκιμοι νεανίαι. Answ. “ἁμὲς δέ γ᾽ εἰμές” Carm.Pop.18; οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅτι λέγεις. Answ. “ἡ γραῦς δέ γε οἶδ᾽, ὡς ἐγῷμαι” Men.Epit.577, cf. A.Th.1031, etc.