ὥσπερ, or
ὥς περ, adverb of Manner,
like as, even as, ζῆν ὥ. ἤδη ζῇς 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 1396; ἐσῴζετ᾽ ἂν, ὥ. οὐχὶ σῴζεται [
Refs]; but the Verb is more often left to be supplied, οὔ τι κατακρύπτουσιν, ὥ. Κύκλωπες [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔξεστί θ᾽, ὥ. Ἡγέλοχος, ἡμῖν λέγειν. [
Refs 8th c.BC+] and περ, e.g. ὡς σύ περ αὐτή, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ, ὡς ἔσεταί περ [
Refs 8th c.BC+];
as for instance, ὅταν χορὸς. γίγνηται, ὥ. [ὁ] εἰς Ηλον πεμπόμενος [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥσπερ differs from ὡς in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], in that it seldom has an antecedent expressed, as in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], τηλίκου ὥ. ἐγώ; also in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], ὣς δ᾽ αὔτως, ὥ. ὑπέστ; but in Trag. and
Attic dialect ὥ. is very frequently after
demonstrative words; before οὕτως, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥ. καὶ, οὕτω καὶ. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥ, ὧδε. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; αὐτοῦ ὥ. εἶχον
just as they were,
then and there, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; καὶ τὸν δαελὸν σβῆτε ὥ. ἔχει
on the spot, [
Refs] ὥ. ἔχει δόξης [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
just exactly as, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥ. καί
even as, ὡς καὶ ἐγώ περ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; so after ὁ αὐτός, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
2) ὥσπερ ἄν with
subjunctive, see below[
Refs]; with
optative, ὥσπερ ἄν τις. λέγοι [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
II) to limit or modify an assertion or apologize for a metaphor,
as it were, so to speak, ὥ. ἀκονιτί [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; in later Gk. sometimes after the word to which it refers, ἐσφιγμένον ὥ. [
Refs 3rd c.AD+]; βάθρον ὥ. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: frequently with parts, ὥ. ἐγγελῶσα [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥ. τι τῶν ἄλλων εὐλόγως πεποιηκότες
as if they had done, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὥ. ἐξόν
as if it were in our power, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; with a change of construction, ὥ. τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦτον ἔχοντα ἀνάγκην, καὶ οὔτε. οἷόν τε εἴη γενέσθαι [
Refs]; τὴν ὥ. ἐπὶ τοῦ δίφρου ἕδραν a seat
like that used in the chariot, [
Refs]
III) rarely of Time,
III.1) ὥσπερ ἄν ={ἕως ἄν},
so long as, or
however long (compare ὡς Ad. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2)
as soon as, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
IV) after a
comparative (compare ὡς Ab. [
Refs 6th c.BC+].—Cf. ὡσπερεί, ὥσπερ οὖν.