Η
h)/, h)e/:
or, than, whether.(1) disjunctive,
or, and in correlation,
either.. or,
ὅππως κε μνηστῆρας..
κτείνῃς ἠὲ δόλῳ ἢ ἀμφαδόν, Od. 1.296.(2) comparative,
than.(3) interrogative, (
a) rarely in a single indirect question,
whether, Il. 8.111, Od. 13.415 (v. l.
εἰ).(
b) freq. in double questions, direct or indirect (
whether)..
or (Att.
πότερον..
ἤ), the accentuation of the second particle according to the ancient grammarians being
ἦ (
ἦε). The first member is introduced either by
ἤ (
ἠέ), or by some other particle, or stands without any particle;
θεός νύ τις ἦ βροτός ἐσσι; Od. 6.149.
οὐδέ τι οἶδα,
ζώει ὅ γ' ἦ τέθνηκε, Od. 11.464. Τῦδείδην δ̓
οὐκ ἂν γνοίης ποτέροισι μετείη,
ἠὲ μετὰ Τρώεσσιν ὁμῖλέοι
ἦ μετ' Ἀχαιοῖς, Il. 5.86. With
εἰ in first clause, Od. 16.33.