ἀπορία

English (LSJ)

Ion. -ιη, ἡ, (ἄπορος)

   A being ἄπορος: hence,    I of places, difficulty of passing, X.An.5.6.10.    II of things, difficulty, straits, in sg. and pl., ἐς ἀπορίην πολλὴν ἀπιγμένος, ἀπειλημένος, Hdt.1.79, 2.141; ἐν ἀπορίῃ or ἐν ἀποίῃσι ἔχεσθαι, Id.9.98, 4.131, cf. Antipho 5.66; ἀπορίῃσιν ἐνείχετο Hdt.1.190; ἀπορίην ἐρωτηθέντι παρασχεῖν Hp.VM13, cf. Lys.19.1; ἀπορια τελέθει, c. inf., Pi.N.7.105, cf. Pl. Lg.788c; εἰς φρέατα καὶ πᾶσαν ἀ. ἐμπίπτων Id.Tht.174c: c. gen. rei, ἀ. τοῦ μὴ γινώσκειν Hp.Morb.Sacr.1; ἀ. τοῦ μὴ ἡσυχάζειν impossibility of keeping quiet, Th.2.49; ἀ. τῆς προσορμίσεως Id.4.10; ἀ. τοῦ ἀνακαθαίρεσθαι Pl.Lg.678d.    2 not providing a thing, Id.Men. 78e.    III of persons, difficulty of dealing with or getting at, τῶν Σκυθέων Hdt.4.83; τοῦ ἀποκτείναντος Antipho 2.4.2.    2 being at a loss, embarrassment, perplexity, ἀ. τοῦ δυστυχεῖν E.Ion971, cf. Th. 7.44,75, etc.; ἀ. ἐν τῷ λόγῷ συμβᾶσα Aeschin.2.41; distress, discomfort, in illness, Hp.Epid.5.42, Aret.SA2.5: hence metaph., ὠδίνουσι καὶ ἀπορίας ἐμπίμπλανται Pl.Tht.151a.    3 ἀ. τινός lack of a person or thing, σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν Ar.Ra.806; τροφῆς, χρημάτων, etc., Th.1.11, 7.48; ἀπώλλυντο . . ἀπορίᾳ τοῦ θεραπεύοντος for want of one to attend to them, Id.2.51; ἀ. λόγων Pl.Ap.38d; ἀ. πλοίων shortage of ships, CPHerm.6.10: abs., need, poverty, Th.1.123; ἀ. καὶ πενία And.1.144; opp. εὐπορία, Arist.Pol.1279b27: in pl., D. 19.146.    IV in Dialectic, question for discussion, difficulty, puzzle, ἀπορίᾳ σχόμενος Pl.Prt.321c; ἀ. ἣν ἀπορεῖς ib.324d; ἡ ἀ. ἰσότης ἐναντίων λογισμῶν Arist. Top.145b1, al.; ἔχει ἀπορίαν περί τινος Id.Pol.1285b28; αἱ μὲν οὖν ἀ. τοιαῦταί τινες συμβαίνουσιν Id.EN1146b6; οὐδεμίαν ποιήσει ἀ. Id.Metaph.1085a27; ἀ. λύειν, διαλύειν, Id.MM 1201b1, Metaph.1062b31; ἀπορίᾳ ἀπορίαν λύειν D.S.1.37.