ὁπότᾰν, i. e.ὁπότ' ἄν,as it is freq. written in codd. (the distn. did not exist for the Greeks) :Adv., related toὅτανasὁπότεtoὅτε(v.ὁπότε),
A. whensoever,used only withsubj., Il. 15.209 , etc. ( Hom. usesὁππότε κενin the same way, Il. 4.40 , 229 , al.): rarely after past tenses,πολλὰς . . ῃ̆σθου πλαγάς, ὁπόταν . . νὺξ ὑπολείφθῃ(forὁπότε νὺξ ὑπολειφθείη) S. El. 91 (anap.): never with ind. in early writers, forφθέγξομαι( Il. 21.340 ),ἱμείρεται( Od. 1.41 ) are Ep.
aor. subj.forms, and in Od. 16.282
θῇσινis the right reading : never with opt. save in late writers (unless the Mss. can be trusted in Pl. Alc. 2.146a ), for in Il. 7.415
ὁππότ' ἄρ'is the reading of the best codd. ; in X. Cyr. 1.3.11
ὁπότε ἥκοιis the right reading.
II. as soon as,
ὁπότ' ἂν τὸ πρῶτον ἴδῃ φάος
h.Ap. 71
.