Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

A.whether of the two? both in direct and indirect questions; once in Hom., “οὐκ ἂν γνοίης ποτέροισι μετείη” Il.5.85; “κότερα τούτων αἱρετώτερά ἐστι . .;” Hdt.3.52, cf. 1.126; “πότερα τύχης καὶ πότερα γνώμης ἔργα κρίνεις;” X.Mem. 1.4.4; “σκόπει πρὸς ποτέρους διαλέγῃ” Pl.R.528a, etc.: sts. the two objects referred to follow in apposition, “ἐρωτώσης τῆς μητρός, π. καλλίων . . δοκεῖ εἶναι, ὁ πατὴρ ἢ οὗτος” X.Cyr.1.3.2, cf. Mem.1.6.9; “πότερος . . , ὁ ἰατρὸς ἢ ὁ ὀψοποιός;” Pl.Grg.464d, cf. 498a, etc.; modified by τις, Id.Lg.715a, etc.; repeated in the same sentence, “πότερος ποτερου φίλος γίγνεται;” Id.Ly.212a.

II. neut. πότερον and πότερα (interchangeable, “πότερον δέδρακεν ἢ οὔ, καὶ πότερ᾽ ἄκων ἢ ἑκών;” D.23.79, cf. X. Mem.3.6.16), as Adv. at the beginning of an interrog. sentence containing two alternative propositions, the second being connected by ἤ . . , whether . . or,

a. in direct questions, Pi.P.11.22, Fr.213, B.17.33, Hdt.1.88, etc.; “τίνες κατῆρξαν, πότερον Ἕλληνες ἢ παῖς ἐμός;” A. Pers.351, etc.; “πότερα δικαστὴν ἢ δικηφόρον λέγεις;” Id.Ch.120, cf. Supp.336.

b. in indirect questions, “ἐπείρεσθαι κότερα τὴν ἑωυτοῦ ἢ τὴν Κύρου λέγοι ἀρχήν” Hdt.1.91, cf. 3.32, etc.: the Verb is sts. repeated, “π. οὐδενὶ δύναται ἀρέσαι, ἢ ἔστιν οἷς καὶ πάνυ ἀρέσκει;” X. Mem. 2.3.6: sts. π. precedes the common Verb, “π. βούλοιτο μένειν ἢ ἀπιέναι;” Id.Cyr.1.3.15, cf. Oec.18.1.

2. sts. a third clause (with ἤ) is inaccurately added, “κότερα παρὰ δήμου ἢ ὀλιγαρχίης ἢ μουνάρχου;” Hdt. 3.82, cf. A.Supp.247, S.OT112; and a fourth, Id.El.539.

3. the second alternative is sts. left to be supplied, πότερα δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε (sc. ἢ μή . . ); Id.Ph.1235, cf. OC333, A.Pers.239, Th.94 (lyr.), Ag.274, Pl.Sph.228a, R.501d, etc.

4. πότερον is sts. omitted in the first clause, “ἐπισκέψασθαι . . , ὀρθὴ ἢ ψευδής” Id.Tht.161d, cf. Lg. 670b.

5. in affirmative sentences, π . . ἤ, either . . or, Corn.ND14, al.; so π . . . ἤ . . ἤ ib.27.

III. indef., one of other, either of the two, “τί οὐ λέγει π. ὑμῶν;” Pl.La.181d; “τούτων ποτέροις ἐπακολουθῆσαι” Id.Chrm.171b, cf. R.499c, Phlb.20e, Tht.145b, etc.; ἅτεροι πότεροι, = ὁποτεροιοῦν, SIG421.31 (Thermon, iii B. C.): for “ὁπότερος, ἐξέστω αὐτῷ πότερον ἂν βούληται, ἤ . . ἤ . . ” Abh.Berl.Akad.1925(5).7 (Cyrene, iii B. C.): in this sense Phot. would make it oxyt. ποτερός, ά, όν.

IV. Adv. ποτέρως, v. sub voc. (I.-E. q[uglide]o-tero-s, cf. Skt. katarás, Goth. hwapar 'which of two?')