ἄρᾰ,
Epic dialect ῥά (which is enclitic and used after monosyllables, ἦ, ὅς, γάρ, etc, or words ending in a vowel or diphthong, e.g. ἐπεί), before a consonant ἄρ (perhaps cf. Lithuanian
i[rtilde] 'and'): expressing consequence,
then, or mere succession,
there and then, and in many derived uses.
A) EARLIER USAGE: to denote,
A.I) immediate transition,
there and then, straightway, ὣς φάτο βῆ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ὄνειρος[
Refs 8th c.BC+]: after a
participle, ὣς εἰπὼν κατ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἕζετο[
Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὕτως ἄρα[
Refs 5th c.BC+]; often in apodosi, as αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ θηήσατο. αὐτίκ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἤλυθεν[
Refs 8th c.BC+]: in enumerations, e. g. in Homer's catalogue,
then, next, οἱ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ Ἀθήνας εἶχον[
Refs]; so in genealogies, Σίσυφος. ὁ δ᾽ ἄ. Γλαῦκον τέκεθ᾽ υἱόν[
Refs]
A.I.2) to draw attention,
mark you! τὸν τρεῖς μὲν ἐπιρρήσσεσκον. τῶν ἄλλων Ἀχιλεὺς δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπιρρήσσεσκε καὶ οἶος[
Refs]: to point a moral or general statement, φευγόντων δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἂρ κλέος ὄρνυται οὔτε τις ἀλκή[
Refs]
A.II) connexion, such as,
A.II.1) that of
antecedent and
consequent, οἰνοχόει. ἄσβεστος δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐνῶρτο γέλως[
Refs]: also in questions, τίς τ᾽ ἄρ τῶν ὄχ᾽ ἄριστος ἔη; who
then (say you) was? [
Refs]
he it was, whom, [
Refs], thus,
then he spoke.—This usage is universal in Greek.
A.II.2) explanation of that which precedes, χωόμενον κατὰ θυμὸν ἐϋζώνοιο γυναικὸς τήν ῥα. ἀπηύρων whom (
and for this cause he was angry) they had taken away, [
Refs]; εἰ μὴ ὑπερφίαλον ἔπος ἔκβαλε. φῆ ῥ᾽ ἀέκητι θεῶν φυγέειν
for he said, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; so with relatives, ἐκ δ᾽ ἔθορε κλῆρος ὃν ἄρ᾽ ἤθελον αὐτοί the
very one which, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B) LATER USAGE, always with inferential force: 1. in drawing conclusions (more subjective than οὖν), ἄριστον ἄ. ἡ εὐδαιμονία[
Refs 4th c.BC+]: especially by way of informal inference,
as it seems, οὐκ ἄ. σοί γε πατὴρ ἦν Πηλεύς[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὕτω κοινόν τι ἄ. χαρᾷ καὶ λύπῃ δάκρυά ἐστιν
so true is it that, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so in announcing the discovery or correction of an error, as οὐκ ἐννενοήκαμεν ὅτι εἰσὶν ἄ. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; εἰκότως ἄ. οὐκ ἐγίγνετο· ὡς γὰρ ἐγὼ νῦν πυνθάνομαι. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.2) in questions, expressing the anxiety of the questioner, τίς ἄ. ῥύσετα;
who is there to save? [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; so in exclamations to heighten the expression of emotion, οἵαν ἄρ᾽ ἥβην. ἀπώλεσεν
what a band of youth was that! [
Refs]; so ὡς ἄρα[
Refs 5th c.BC+]; πῶς ἄ; οὕτως ἄ, etc; ἄ. alone, ἔζης ἄ.[
Refs 5th c.BC+]: especially in ironical comments, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.3) epexegetic,
namely, ἐρῶ, ὡς ἄ. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.4) for τοι ἄρα, τἄρα, see entry τοι [
Refs]
B.5) εἰ (or ἐάν) μὴ ἄ. unless
perhaps, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; separated from εἰ μή, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.6) in hypothetical clauses, to indicate the improbability of the supposition, ἢν ἄ. ποτὲ κατὰ γῆν βιασθῶσιν[
Refs 5th c.BC+]; or simply,
perhaps (sometimes separated from εἰ), εἴ τις οὖν ὑμῶν ἄ. ὑπελάμβανεν[
Refs 5th c.BC+]
C) IN CRASIS, frequently τἄρα, μεντἄρα, οὐτἄρα: also δήξομἄρα for δήξομαι ἄ, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἰμώξετἄρα, κλαύσἄρα, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
D) ἄρα never stands first in the sentence in Classical Greek [
Refs 4th c.BC+], but is found at the beginning of an apodosis in [
NT], and first in a sentence, [
NT+2nd c.AD+]; in conclusion of syllogism, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]