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ἐπεί , Conj., both temporal and causal; also ἐπειδή , ἐπείτε.
A. OF TIME (ἐπειδή is more freq. in this sense in Prose), after that, since, when, from Hom. downwds.:
I. with Ind.,
1. of a definite occurrence in past time, mostly c. aor., ἐπεί π̔᾽ εὔξαντο after they had prayed, Il.1.458; “ἐπειδὴ ἐτελεύτησε Δαρεῖος καὶ κατέστη Ἀρταξέρξηςafter D. had died and A. had succeeded, X.An.1.1.3: rarely c. impf., “ἐπειδὴ εἱστιώμεθ᾽Ar.Nu.1354; “. πόντον εἰσεβάλλομενE.IT260; “. ἠσθένει ΔαρεῖοςX.An.1.1.1: c. plpf., ἐπειδὴ ἐξηπάτησθε . . after you had been deceived . ., D.18.42; but generally the aor. is found, the plpf. being used only for special emphasis: c. impf. to express an action not yet complete, ἐπεὶ ὑπηντίαζεν φάλαγξ καὶ σάλπιγξ ἐφθέγξατο after the phalanx began to advance and the trumpet had sounded, X.An.6.5.27.
2. with implied reference to some later time, . or ἐπειδή, = ἐξ οὗ, from the time when, since, mostly c. aor., “πολλὰ πλάγχθη, . ἔπερσεOd.1.2; ἐπείτε παρέλαβον τὸν θρόνον, τοῦτο ἐφρόντιζον ever since I came to the throne, I had this in mind, Hdt.7.8.“ά; ἐπειδήπερ ὑπέστηTh.8.68; “δέκατον μὲν ἔτος τόδ᾽ . . . ἦρανA.Ag. 40: sts. c. pres. (used in pf. sense) and pf., . δὲ φροῦδός ἐστι στρατός since the army is gone, S.Ant.15; ἐπείτε ὑπὸ τῷ Πέρσῃ εἰσί, πεπόνθασι τοιόνδε ever since they have been, now that they are . ., Hdt.3.117.
II. with Subj., ἄν being always added in Att. Prose, and ἄν or κε generally in Poetry: ἐπεί with ἄν becomes ἐπήν (so in Com., Ar.Lys.1175,Av.983), later ἐπάν (q.v.), Ion. “ἐπεάνSchwyzer 800 (vi B.C.), Hdt.3.153, al., “ἐπήνHp.Fract.6, al., and ἐπειδή with ἄν ἐπειδάν (q.v.); Hom. has ἐπεί κε, ἐπήν (once “ἐπεὶ ἄνIl.6.412):
2. of repeated action, with a pres. apodosis, whenever, when once,δαμνᾷ, . κε λίπῃ ὀστέα θυμόςOd.11.221, cf. Il.9.409; ἐπειδὰν ἐκφορὰ . . ἄγουσι whenever the burial takes place they bring, Th.2.34; ἐπειδὰν κρύψωσι γῇ . . λέγει when they have covered them with earth, ibid.: sts. without ἄν or κε in Poets, “. ἂρ βλέφαρ᾽ ἀμφικαλύψῃOd.20.86; “. δὴ τόν γε δαμάσσεται . . ὀϊστόςIl.11.478, cf. S.OC1225 (lyr.), Ant. 1025.
3. like A.1.2, δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐπειδὰν δόξῃ within ten days from the passing of the resolution, IG12.88.7.
III. with Opt. (without ἄν):
1. referring to future time, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἔλθοι, ὁρᾶν οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἓν δύνασθαι (sc. οὐκ οἴει); after he had come into the light . ., Pl.R.516a: Hom. sts. uses ἐπήν with opt. in same sense as ἐπεί, Il.24.227, Od.2.105 (codd.), etc.
3. in orat. obliq. after past tenses, representing a subj. in orat. rect., αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπεὶ διαβαίης, ἀπιέναι ἔφησθα (the direct form being ἐπὴν διαβῶ) X.An. 7.2.27, cf. 3.5.18, Cyr.1.4.21; after opt. in a final clause, ἐπορεύοντο,ὅπως ἐπειδὴ γένοιντο ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ . . ἴοιενTh.7.80.
5. ἐπειδάν c. opt. is f.l. in some passages of early authors, as X.Cyr.1.3.11, D.30.6 (c. ind., Plb.13.7.8): found in later Gr., Agath.2.5, al., Zos.5.18.10.
V. with other words:
2. with emphatic Particles, ἐπεὶ ἄρα when then, in continuing a narrative, Il.6.426; ἐπεὶ οὖν when then, in resuming a narrative, 1.57, 3.4; “ἐπεὶ ὦνHdt.3.9; “ἐπεὶ γὰρ δήId.9.90, etc.
B. CAUSAL (ἐπεί more freq. in this sense in early Prose: ἐπειδή whereas is used in preambles of decrees, IG22.103, etc.; “ἐπειδήπερinasmuch as, Ev. Luc. 1.1), since, seeing that, freq. from Hom. downwards:
2. c. Opt., “. ἂν μάλα τοι σχεδὸν ἔλθοιIl.9.304, cf. S.Aj.916; so after past tenses on the principle of orat. obliq., ἐπείπερ ἡγήσαιντο since (as they said) they believed, X.Mem.1.4.19.
3. c. Inf. in orat. obliq., “. γιγνώσκειν γε αὐτάPl.Prt.353a, cf. Hdt.8.111, Th.2.93.
4. in elliptical expressions, ἀδύνατός [εἰμι], . ἐβουλόμην ἂν οἷός τ᾽ εἶναι I am unable (and yet I am sorry), for I should like to have the power, Pl.Prt. 335c; so εἶμι: . καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἂν ἴσως οὐκ ἀηδῶς σου ἤκουον ibid. (here the sense may be given by and yet, although, cf. ib. 333c, 317a, Ap.19e, Smp.187a, Arist.EN1121a19); . γε ἀποθανὼν πελάτης τις ἦν ἐμός and yet (moreover) the murdered man was my own hired man, Pl. Euthphr.4c.
b. sts. after a voc., where 'listen' may be supplied, “Ἕκτορ, . με κατ᾽ αἶσαν ἐνείκεσαςIl.3.59, cf. 13.68, Od.3.103, 211.
5. with other Particles, . ἄρα, . ἂρ δή since then, Od.17.185; . γε (“ἐπεί . . γεIl.1.352, Hes. Th.171), more emphatic than ., since indeed, E.Cyc.181, Hipp.955; ἐπειδή γε ib.946, Pl.Phd.77d, D.54.29; sts. separated, “ἐπειδή . . γεS.El.631, Pl.Phd.87c; “. γε δήHdt.3.9, S.Ant. 923, “ἐπειδή γε καίTh.6.18; . since in truth, “. πολὺ φέρτερόν ἐστιIl.1.169, cf. 156, Od.9.276; ἐπείπερ (“ . . . περIl.13.447, Od.20.181) in Trag. and Prose, A.Ag.822, S.OC75, Pl.Phd.114d; ἐπειδήπερ in Com. and Prose, Ar.Ach.437,495, Nu.1412, Th.6.18, Pl.R. 350e; . τοι since surely, S.OC433; “. νύ τοιIl.1.416; “. τοι καίE. Med.677, Pl.R.567e. [. sts. begins a verse in Hom., Il.22.379, Od. 4.13, 8.452, 21.25; sts. coalesces by synizesis with οὐ, οὐδέ, etc., S. Ph.446,948, etc.]
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (133):
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