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ἔπος,
older ϝέπος [[ “SIG” 9 (see. below)] Refs], etc., εος, τό (Sanskrit vácas 'word', 'hymn', compare εἶπον):
__I word, παύρῳ ἔπει in short utterance, [[ 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “O.” 13.98; ἐπέων κόσμος 4th-5th c.BC: Parmenides Poeta Philosophus 8.52, 3rd c.AD: Democritus Epigrammaticus 21; ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Coloneus” 443; λόγοι ἔπεσι κοσμηθέντες 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 3.67 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: generally, that which is uttered in words, speech, tale, ἔπος ἐρέειν [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 3.83, etc.; φάσθαι 6th c.BC: Xenophanes Poeta Philosophus 7.3, 4th-5th c.BC: Parmenides Poeta Philosophus 1.23, etc.] Refs 8th c.BC+]; joined with μῦθος, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 4.597, 11.561.] Refs 8th c.BC+] —Special uses,
__I.1 song or lay accompanied by music, [[ 8.91, 17.519. ] Refs]
__I.2 pledged word, promise, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 8.8 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; τελέσαι ἔπος fulfil, keep one's word,[[ 14.44, compare 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 1033. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__I.3 word in season, counsel, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 1.216, 2.807, 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 18.166, etc.; frequently in Trag., 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Helena” 513, etc. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__I.4 word of a deity, oracle, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 12.266, 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.13, etc. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__I.5 saying, proverb, τὸ παλαιὸν ἔπος [[ [prev. author] 7.51, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Aves” 507. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.6 word, opposed to deed, ἔπε᾽ ἀκράαντα words of none effect, opposed to ἔτυμα, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 19.565, compare 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hercules Furens” 111 (Lyric poetry)] Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to ἔργον, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 15.234, 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 2.272, etc., compare 11.1; αἴτε ϝέπος αἴτε ϝάργον “SIG” 9 (Elis, 6th c.BC)] Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to βίη, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 15.106; opposed to χεῖρες, 1.77 (_plural_). ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__I.7 subject of a speech, message, [[ 11.652, 17.701, 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 1144, etc. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.1 joined with ἔργον or πρᾶγμα [[ 1st c.AD(?): Heraclitus 1, 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 174 (troch.), 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Equites” 39, etc.; ἔργῳ τε καὶ ἔπει 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 879c; ἅμα ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐποίεε 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.134; χρηστὰ ἔργα καὶ ἔπεα ποιέειν [prev. author] 1.90. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.2 κατ᾽ ἔπος word by word, κατ᾽ ἔ. βασανιεῖν φησι τὰς τραγῳδίας [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 802. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.3 πρὸς ἔπος at the first word, [[ 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Ep.Sat.” 37. ] Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__II.3.b word in exchange for word, ἀμείβεσθαι, ἀποκρίνεσθαι, of an oracle, [[ [prev. author] “Alex.” 19, “Philops.” 38; also ἔ. δ᾽ ἀμείβου πρὸς ἔ. 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Eumenides” 586, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nubes” 1375, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Sophista” 217d. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.3.c οὐδὲν πρὸς ἔ. to no purpose, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ecclesiazusae” 751 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, nothing to the purpose, ἐὰν μηδὲν πρὸς ἔ. ἀποκρίνωμαι [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Euthydemus” 295c, compare 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Herm.” 36 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί πρὸς ἔπο; [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Philebus” 18d. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.4 ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν almost, practically, qualifying a too absolute expression, especially with πᾶς and οὐδείς (not with metaphors), [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Apologia” 17a, “Phd.” 78e, “Grg.” 456a, +others, 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Metaphysica” 1009b16, “Pol.” 1252b29, 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 9.47, etc. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ὄντως or ἀκριβεῖ λόγῳ, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 656e, “R.” 341b; later ὡς ἔ. ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν “POxy.” 67.14 (4th c.AD) ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; in Trag., ὡς εἰπεῖν ἔ. [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 714 (troch.), 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Heraclidae” 167, “Hipp.” 1162, once in 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus, “Lg.” 967b (assuming variant). ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.5 ἑνὶ ἔπει in one word, briefly, ἑνὶ ἔπεϊ πάντα συλλαβόντα λέγειν [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.82. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III of single words, especially with reference to etymology or usage, [[ [prev. author] 2.30, 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nubes” 638, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Protagoras” 339a, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀρθότης ἐπῶν,=ὀρθοέπεια (which see), [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 1181; ἄριστ᾽ ἐπῶν ἔχον [prev. work] 1161. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__IV in plural, epic poetry, opposed to μέλη (lyric poetry), ἰαμβεῖα, διθύραμβοι, etc., ῥαπτῶν ἐπέων ἀοιδοί [[ 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “N.” 2.2; τὰ Κύπρια ἔπεα 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.117, compare 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 1.3, 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 1.4.3, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 379a, etc.; ἔπεά τε ποιεῖν πρὸς λύραν τ᾽ ἀείδειν 3rd c.BC: Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus “Epigrammata” 21.6; νικήσας ἔπος “IG” 3.1020; ποητὴς ἐπῶν [prev. work]7.3197.9 (Orchom. _Boeotian dialect_),compare “OGI” 51.37 (Egypt, 3rd c.BC). ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__IV.b generally, poetry, even lyrics, [[ 7th c.BC: Alcman Lyricus 25 (probably), 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “O.” 3.8, etc. ] Refs 7th c.BC+]
__IV.c lines, verses, especially of spoken lines in the drama, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 862, 956, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]: singular, verse, line of poetry, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 4.29, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Minos” 319d ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; group of verses, [[ [prev. author] “R.” 386c, 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 7.143. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__IV.d lines of writing, μυρίων ἐπῶν μῆκος [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Isocrates Orator 12.136 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν ὅλοις ἑπτὰ ἔπεσι παραδραμεῖν, of a historian, [[ 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Hist.Conscr.” 28. ] Refs 2nd c.AD+]
