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ὄπισθεν , in Ion. (Hdt.4.72, al., SIG46.65 (Halic., v B. C.), etc.) and late Att. (Luc.Am. 16, etc.) ὄπισθε before a conson., as also in Poets, E.Cyc.545, IT1333 : poet. also ὄπι^θεν Il.6.181, al., Pi.O.10(11).35, A.Pers.1001 (lyr.) :—Adv. :
I. of Place, behind, at the back, opp. πρόσθε, Il.5.595 ; “πρόσθε λέων ὄπιθεν δὲ δράκων μέσση δὲ χίμαιρα” 6.181 ; “ὄπισθεν καταλιπεῖν” Od.10.209 ; “μένειν” Il.9.332, etc. ; “πέμψει οὖρον ὄ.” Od.15.34 ; ὄπιθεν κομόωντες with long back-hair, Il.2.542 ; “ὄπιθεν κομόωσαι ἔθειραι” IG12(9).1179.9 (Euboea) ; ὄ. ἕπεσθαι, ἀκολουθεῖν, A. l. c., etc. ; οἱ ὄπιθεν those who are left behind, e.g. at home, Od.11.66 ; but also, those who are in the rear, X.Cyr.2.2.8 ; εἰ τοὺς ὄ. ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν ἄξομεν shall bring the rear ranks to the front (metaph.), S.Aj. 1249 ; αἱ ὄ. ἁψῖδες the hinder fellies, Hdt.4.72 ; τὰ ὄ. the hinder parts, rear, back, Il.11.613 ; “οἱ ὄ. ἁρμοί” IG12.372.117 ; “εἰς τοὔπισθεν” back, backwards, E.Ph.1410, Pl.Sph.261b, etc. ; εἰς τ. τοξεύειν, i. e. 'versis sagittis', like the Parthians, X.An.3.3.10 : opp. “ἐκ τοὔπισθεν” Ar.Ec.482, cf. Th.7.79, X.An.4.1.6 ; “ἐν τῷ ὄ.” Pl.R.614c, X.Cyn.9.8, etc. ; ὄ. ποιήσασθαι τὸν ποταμόν place the river in his rear, Id.An.1.10.9.
2. Prep. c. gen., behind, “στῆ δ᾽ ὄπιθεν δίφροιο” Il.17.468 ; “ὄπισθε μάχης” 13.536 ; “ὄπισθε τῆς θύρης” Hdt.1.9 ; “ἔμπροσθέ τε Θερμοπυλέων καὶ ὄ.” Id.7.176 ; “ὄ. ἐμοῦ . . εἰσῄει” Pl.Smp.175a, etc. : sts. after its case, “δίφρου ὄπισθεν” Il.24.15 ; ἴμεν φάμας ὄπισθεν follow the voice, Pi.O. 6.63 ; “γνώμης πατρῴας πάντ᾽ ὄ. ἑστάναι” S.Ant.640 ; also “τούτοισι δ᾽ ὄ. ἴτω” Cratin.30 ; “πνοιαῖς ὄπιθεν Βορέα” Pi.O.3.31 (s. v.l.).
II. of Time, after, in future, hereafter, Il.4.362, Od.2.270, 18.168, etc. ; either of a thing absolutely future, or of one which follows something else, opp. αὐτίκα, Il.9.519 ; “ὄπιθεν οὐ πολλόν” Pi.O.10(11).35 ; “πολλοῖς μησὶν ὄ.” Theoc.Ep.22.8 ; cf. “ὀπίσω” 11.1.
2. ἐν τοῖσι ὄ. λόγοισι in the books yet to come, in the following books, Hdt.5.22, 7.213 ; cf. “ὀπίσω” 11.2 : but, in Gramm., of what has gone before, Sch. Od.3.366, Hsch. s.v. Ἴωνες, Sch.Ar.Ra.1488 ; ὁ ὄπιθεν χρόνος the earlier time, PMasp.158.22 (vi A. D.) :—for Comp. ὀπίστερος, Sup. ὀπίστατος, v. sub vocc. (Prob. from Ο῎πις 'back', contained in ἀνόπιν, κατόπιν, μετόπιν, ὀπίσω.）
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (38):
    • Aeschylus, Persians, 1001
    • Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae, 482
    • Aristophanes, Frogs, 1488
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    • Homer, Iliad, 2.542
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    • Xenophon, On Hunting, 9.8
    • Homer, Iliad, 13.536
    • Homer, Iliad, 17.468
    • Homer, Iliad, 24.15
    • Homer, Iliad, 5.595
    • Homer, Iliad, 6.181
    • Homer, Iliad, 9.332
    • Homer, Odyssey, 2.270
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