ὦ

English (LSJ)

and ὤ, an exclamation, expressing surprise, joy, or pain,

A O! oh! with nom., ὢ τάλας ἐγώ S.Aj.981, etc.; ὢ ἔβενος, ὢ χρυσός Theoc.15.123: also c. gen., ὢ τῆς ἀναισχυντίας Luc.Pisc.5; with interrog., ὤ, τί λέγεις; Pl.Prt.309d; in the middle of a sentence, E.Hipp.362 (lyr.), al. II with voc., a mode of address, whether at the beginning of a sentence or in a parenthesis, ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ Il.1.74, etc., esp. in dialogue and Oratt., ἐβουλόμην, ὦ ἄνδρες, τὴν δύναμιν κτλ. Antipho.5.1; in invocations of the gods, ὦ Ζεῦ τε καὶ Γῆ καὶ πολισσοῦχοι θεοί A.Th.69, etc.; with imper., ὦ χαῖρε Id.Ag.22, S.Aj. 91; ὦ πρὸς θεῶν ὕπεικε ib.371, cf. D.21.98: sts. following the Verb, E.Tr.335 (lyr.); in different number from the voc., προσέλθετ', ὦ παῖ, πατρί S.OC1104, cf. 1112, Sch.Ar.Pl.66. 2 with nom. instead of voc., ὦ δῐος αἰθήρ, ὦ φίλος, A.Pr.88, 545; ὦ γενναῖος Pl. Phdr.227c; ὦ οὗτος Αἴας S.Aj.89; ὦ οὗτος οὗτος Οἰδίπους Id.OC 1627; also οὗτος, ὦ σέ τοι (sc. καλῶ) Ar.Av.274. 3 with both together, φίλος ὦ Μενέλαε Il.4.189; ὦ τλάμων πάτερ S.Aj.641 (lyr., τλᾶμον codd. rec., edd.). 4 with the latter of two nouns, Ἀγάμεμνον, ὦ Μενέλαε Id.Ph.794.—In the first sense usu. written ὤ, in the second ὦ : [τὸ ὢ] ἡνίκα θαυμαστικὸν λαμβάνεται βαρύνεται, καὶ χωρεῐ εἰς ἐπιρρηματικὴν σύνταξιν, οἷον ὢ Ἡρακλῆς EM79.13: Thom.Mag. p.408R. prescribes ὢ with the gen., but ὦ with the voc., e.g. ὦ Ἡράκλεις, where the whole expression, and not merely the ὤ (ὦ,) expresses surprise (but A.D.Adv.127.24 seems to imply ὦ in both senses); ὤ as an exclam. is found in forms like ὤ μοι, ὤ μοι ἐγώ, ὢ πρὸς τῶν θεῶν D. l. c.: but ὦ πόποι δυσὶ τόνοις χρῆται Hdn.Gr.1.503, so that ὢ πόποι is improbable, cf. Theognost.Can.158 (as emended by Lehrs Aristarch.3p.119); ᾤμοι and ὤμοι are both recognized by EM822.33, cf. Lex.Mess.p.413; ωιμ' Sapph.Supp.23.4; in E., when it stands in the middle of a sentence, it shd. be written ὤ, Hipp.362, al.: sts. doubled, ὢ ὢ κακά A.Ag.1214; ἰὼ ὢ ὤ S.OC 224 (v.l. ὣ ὣ ὣ); written ὼ ώ in Pap. of S.Ichn.61; tripled, ὢ ὢ ὤ A.Pers.985 (lyr., prob.). To those who (like D.T.640.11, cf. Sch. D.T.p.257H.) took ὦ for the voc. of the Art. ὁ, A.D.Synt.45.22-53 replies at length.