ὥσπερ

English (LSJ)

or ὥς περ, Adv. of Manner,

   A like as, even as, ζῆν ὥ. ἤδη ζῇς S.Ph.1396; ἐσῴζετ' ἂν... ὥ. οὐχὶ σῴζεται Id.El.994; but the Verb is more often left to be supplied, οὔ τι κατακρύπτουσιν... ὥ. Κύκλωπες Od.7.206, cf. 2.333, Il.4.263, 14.50; ἔξεστί θ', ὥ. Ἡγέλοχος, ἡμῖν λέγειν . . Ar.Ra.303; τεταγμένοι ὥ. ἔμελλον Th.4.93; τοῖς ἠτυχηκόσιν ὥ. ἐγώ D.45.1; Hom. freq. puts a word between ὡς and περ, e.g. ὡς σύ περ αὐτή, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ, ὡς ἔσεταί περ Od.19.385, Il.5.806, 1.211; as for instance, ὅταν χορὸς . . γίγνηται, ὥ. <ὁ> εἰς Ηλον πεμπόμενος X.Mem.3.3.12; ὥσπερ differs from ὡς in Hom., in that it seldom has an antecedent expressed, as in Il.24.487, τηλίκου ὥ. ἐγών; also in Hes.Th.402, ὣς δ' αὔτως... ὥ. ὑπέστη; but in Trag. and Att. ὥ. is very freq. after demonstr. words; before οὕτως, Meliss.3, Ar.Av.188; after it, S.Tr.475, etc.; ὥ. καὶ... οὕτω καὶ . . X.Cyr.7.5.75, cf. Pl.R.354b; ὥ... ὧδε . . S.OT276; τοιοῦτος ὥ. Pl.Prt.327d; αὐτοῦ ὥ. εἶχον just as they were, then and there, Hdt. 2.121.δ, cf. S.Ant.1235; εὐθὺς ὥ. εἶχεν X.An.4.1.19; εὐθὺς ὥ. ἔτυχε Id.HG3.1.19; τὰν τράπεζαν κάτθετε ὥ. ἔχει Sophr. in PSI11.1214a2; καὶ τὸν δαελὸν σβῆτε ὥ. ἔχει on the spot, ib.14: c. gen., ὥ. ἔχει δόξης Pl.R.612d: strengthd., ὥ. γε just exactly as, Ar.Nu.673; ὥ. καί even as, ὡς καὶ ἐγώ περ Il.6.477; ὥ. καὶ ἄλλο τι Th.1.142, etc.: ὥ. also follows ἴσος, in Od.20.282, μοῖραν . . ἴσην, ὡς αὐτοί περ ἐλάγχανον, cf. S.El.533; so after ὁ αὐτός, Pl.Phd.86a, D.9.33; after ὅμοιος, ὅμοιος ἀτμὸς ὥ. ἐκ τάφου πρέπει A.Ag.1311, cf. Th.4.34.    2 ὥσπερ ἄν c. subj., v. infr.111; c. opt., ὥσπερ ἄν τις . . λέγοι Pl.Phd. 87b, cf. X.HG3.1.14; cf. ὡσπερεί 11.    II to limit or modify an assertion or apologize for a metaphor, as it were, so to speak, ὥ. ἀκονιτί Th.4.73; τὸν ἐγκέφαλον ὥ. σεσεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖς Ar.Nu. 1276, cf. Pax234; ἅμα μὲν . . ὥ. ὑπεφθόνει X.Cyr.4.1.13, cf. Pl.Phdr. 270d, Cra.384c; in later Gk. sts. after the word to which it refers, ἐσφιγμένον ὥ. Porph.Chr.26; βάθρον ὥ. Sch.Pi.O.8.33; στέφανος ὥ. τῶν πόλεων τὰ τείχη ib.42: freq. with parts., ὥ. ἐγγελῶσα S.El. 277; ὥ. ἐντεταμένου τοῦ σώματος Pl.Phd.86b; ὥ. τι τῶν ἄλλων εὐλόγως πεποιηκότες as if they had done, Lys.12.7; ὥ. ἐξόν as if it were in our power, X.An.3.1.14; σιωπῇ ἐδείπνουν, ὥ. τοῦτο ἐπιτεταγμένον αὐτοῖς Id.Smp.1.11, cf. Mem.2.3.3; with a change of construction, ὥ. τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦτον ἔχοντα ἀνάγκην... καὶ οὔτε . . οἷόν τε εἴη γενέσθαι Id.HG2.3.19; τὴν ὥ. ἐπὶ τοῦ δίφρου ἕδραν a seat like that used in the chariot, Id.Eq.7.5.    III rarely of Time,    1 ὥσπερ ἄν = ἕως ἄν, so long as, or however long (cf. ὡς Ad. 2), ὥσπερ ἂν ζῶ S.OC1361 (sed leg. ἕωσπερ).    2 as soon as, Ar.Pax24.    IV after a Comp. (cf. ὡς Ab. 1.4); οὐ μείους ὥ. χίλιοι Xenoph.3.4; ἧττον . . ὥ. X.HG2.3.16.—Cf. ὡσπερεί, ὥσπερ οὖν.