Plato › Greek Lexicon › πῶς

πῶς

pos

how?

Appears 1,260 times across Plato's dialogues.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

πῶς, Ion. κῶς, interrog. Adv. of Manner, A. how? Il. 1.123, etc.; sts. to express displeasure, 4.26, S. OT 391, Ph. 1031, Tr. 192; to express astonishment or doubt, π. εἶπας; A. Pers. 798, S. El. 407, etc.; π. λέγεις; Id. Ph. 1407; π. φῄς; A. Ag. 268, E. El. 575; π. τοῦτʼ ἔλεξας; A. Pers. 793; π. τοῦτʼ εἶπες αὖ; Pl. Plt. 309c; also π. μὴ φῶμεν . . ; surely we must, Id. Tht. 161e. b. in dialogue, to ask explanation, with a repetition of a word used by the previous speaker, δίκαια— Answ. π. δίκαια; S. OC 832; μὴ δίκαιος ὤν—Answ. π. μὴ δίκαιος; Id. Tr. 412; συμβολάς—Answ. π. συμβολάς; Alex. 143; πῶς alone, how so, π., ὅς γε . . ; S. Ph. 1386. 2. with a second interrog. in the same clause, π. ἐκ τίνος νεώς ποτε . . ἥκετε; how and by what ship . .? E. Hel. 1543; τί τἀμὰ—π. ἔχει—θεσπίσματα; ib.873; π. τί τοῦτο λέγεις; how say you and what? Pl. Ti. 22b, cf. Tht. 146d, 208e, etc. 3. c. gen. modi, π. ἀγῶνος ἥκομεν; how are we come off in it? E. El. 751; π. ἔχει πλήθους ἐπισκοπεῖ Pl. Grg. 451c. 4. with Verbs of selling, how? at what price? π. ὁ σῖτος ὤνιος; Ar. Ach. 758, cf. Eq. 480; τὰ δʼ ἄλφιθʼ ὑμῖν π. ἐπώλουν;—Answ. τεττάρων δραχμῶν . . τὸν κόφινον Stratt. 13. II. with other Particles, π. ἂν . .; π. κε (ν) . . ; how possibly . .? π. ἂν ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ σεῖο . . λιποίμην οἶος; Il. 9.437, cf. Od. 1.65, etc.; π. ἂν γένοιτʼ ἂν . . ποδῶν ἔκμακτρον; E. El. 534: so with indic., Il. 22.202, E. Alc. 96 (lyr.), etc. b. in Trag., π. ἄν c. opt. is freq. used to express a wish, O how might it be? i.e. would that it might . .! π. ἂν θάνοιμι; π. ἂν ὀλοίμην; etc., S. Aj. 388 (lyr.), E. Supp. 796 (lyr.), cf. Hipp. 208 (anap.), 345; rare in Com., Ar. Th. 22 (a trace of this usage appears in Hom., Od. 15.195): in later Prose, π. ἂν γένοιτο ἑσπέρα; LXX De. 28.67; also with aor. subj. (without ἄν) , π. κοιμηθῶ; M.Ant. 9.40; π. μή μοι μέγας λέων ἐπιφανῇ; Arr. Epict. 4.10.10; with pres., π. μὴ χρῄζω; M.Ant.l.c. 2. π. ἄρα . . ; in reply, how then? π. τʼ ἄρʼ ἴω . . ; Il. 18.188, cf. Od. 3.22, h.Ap. 19,207. 3. π. γὰρ . . ; also in reply, as if something had gone before, [that cannot be], for how can . .? Il. 1.123, Od. 10.337, etc.; π. γὰρ κάτοιδα; S. Ph. 250, cf. 1383; v. infr. III.1. 4. π. δὲ . . ; to introduce a strong objection, π. δὲ σὺ νῦν μέμονας, κύον ἀδδεές . . ; Il. 21.481, cf. Od. 18.31; δόξει δὲ π.; A. Pr. 261. 5. π. δή; how in the world? π. δὴ φῂς πολέμοιο μεθιέμεν; Il. 4.351, cf. 18.364, A. Ag. 543, etc.; also π. γὰρ δή . . ; Od. 16.70; π. δῆτα . . ; A. Ag. 622,1211, Ar. Nu. 79, etc. 6. π. καὶ . . ; just how . .? E. Hec. 515, Ph. 1354, etc.; π. δὲ καὶ . . ; A. Pers. 721, v. καί B. 6; but καὶ π . . . ; to introduce an objection, E. Ph. 1348, v. καί A. II.2: hence καὶ π.; alone, but how? impossible! Pl. Alc. 1.134c, Tht. 163d, etc. 7. π. οὐ . . ; how not so . .? i.e. surely it is so . . , π. οὐ δεινὰ εἴργασθε; Th. 3.66, cf. Ar. Nu. 398, D. 18.273. 8. π. οὖν . . ; like π. ἄρα . . ; A. Supp. 297,340, S. OT 568, etc.; π. ἂν οὖν . . with opt., A. Pers. 243, E. IT 98. 9. π. ποτε . . ; how ever . .? S. OT 1210 (lyr.), Ph. 687 (lyr.). III. πῶς folld. by several of the abovenamed Particles is freq. used in elliptical sentences, as, 1. π. γάρ; inserted parenthet. in a negative sentence, for how is it possible? how can or could it be? hence in emphatic denial, κἀγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἔδρασα, τοῦτʼ ἐπίσταμαι, οὐδʼ αὖ σύ· π. γάρ; Id. El. 911; οὐκ ἀπορῶν (π. γάρ;) , ὅς γε . . D. 18.312, cf. 21.217, Pl. Sph. 263c, etc.; οὐδʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑστίαν καταφυγών (π. γὰρ ἄν;) , ὅστις . . Lys. 1.27; π. γὰρ οὔ; how can it but be? i.e. it must be so, A. Ch. 754, S. El. 1307, Pl. Tht. 160c, al.; π. γάρ; (sc. ἄλλως ἔχει) is so used in S. Aj. 279. 2. π. δή; how so? A. Eu. 601, Ar. Nu. 664, 673, etc.; π. δῆτα; Pl. Grg. 469b; π. δαί; Ar. V. 1212. 3. π. δʼ οὔ; like π. γὰρ οὔ; (v. supr. I), Pl. Tht. 153b, R. 457a; π. δʼ οὐχί; S. OT 1015, Ar. Pax 1027; parenthetically, S. OT 567; π. δʼ οὐκ ἄν . . ; A. Pr. 759. 4. π. οὖν; how then? how next? E. Med. 1376, Hipp. 598, 1261, D. 19.124; π. οὖν ἄν . . ; X. Mem. 1.2.64. 5. π. δοκεῖς; parenthet., in conversation, how think you? hence (losing all interrog. force),= λίαν, wonderfully, Ar. Pl. 742, Nu. 881, Ach. 24; also π. οἴει σφόδρα Id. Ra. 54; cf. δοκέω I.2. IV. π. in indirect questions for ὅπως, A. Eu. 677, S. Tr. 991 (anap.), Ar. Eq. 614, X. Mem. 1.2.36, etc.; ἐθαύμαζον ἂν π . . . ἔδεισαν IG 12(3).174.28 (Cnidus, Epist.Aug.); ζητηθήσεται π. ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι S.E. M. 8.16. V. in exclamations, ὦ π. πονηρόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου φύσις τὸ σύνολον Philem. 2; π. παραχρῆμα ἐξηράνθη . . ! Ev.Matt. 21.20; π. δυσκόλως . . ! Ev.Marc. 10.23.
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