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.