εἰμί , 2 sing. ἐσσί, εἴς (never εἶ), 1 pl. είμέν, 3 pl.
ἔα_σι, subj. ἔω,
εἴω, 3 ἔῃσι, ᾖσι, 3 pl. ἔωσι,
ὦσι, opt. 2 ἔοις, 3 ἔοι,
inf. ἔ(μ)μεν(αι), part. ἐών, ἔου_σα,
ἐόν, ipf. ἔα, ἦα, ἔον
(ἔην), 2 ἔησθα,
ἦσθα, 3 ἔην, ἤην, ἦεν, du. ἤστην, pl. ἔσαν, iter.
ἔσκον, fut. ἔ(ς)σομαι, ἔ(ς)σεαι,
ἔ(ς)σεται,
ἐ(ς)σόμεθα: as copula, meaning to
be, forms of the pres. ind. are enclitic, with the exception
of ἔα_σι. But they are not enclitic in
the meaning exist, be possible; so at the beginning of
a sentence, and ἔστι after οὐκ, καί, εἰ, and ὡς.
Ζεῦ πάτερ, ἦ ῥα ἔτ᾽ ἔστε θεοί, ‘ye do
then still exist,’ Od. 24.352
; εἴ τι<*> που ἔστι, πίθοιό
μοι, ‘if it be anywise
possible,’ Od.
4.193
. εἶναι is used in Hom. as elsewhere to
form periphrastic tenses, τετληότες
εἰμέν (=τετλήκαμεν), Il. 5.873
; βλήμενος ἦν, Il. 4.211; and it is the usual verb to denote
possession, εἰσίν μοι
παῖδες,
Il. 10.170;
ὄφρα οἱ εἴη πίνειν, ‘have (a chance) to
drink,’ <*> 248;
phrases, ἔνδον ἐόντων, ‘of
her store’; ὅπως ἔσται τάδε
ἔργα, ‘what turn affairs will take’;
εἴη κεν καὶ τοῦτο, ‘this
might well come to pass’; ἐμοὶ δέ κεν
ἀσμένῳ εἴη, ‘it would please me
well’; καὶ ἐσσομένοισι
πυθέσθαι, ‘for future generations,’
‘for posterity to hear’; εἴ
ποτ᾽ ἔην γε, ‘if indeed he ever
was’—as if his existence had been
but a dream after all.—Ellipsis of ἐστί is freq., of other forms rare, sc. ἔῃ, Il.
14.376.