A. DISJUNCTIVE, or, ἐγὼ . . ἢ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν Il. 2.231, cf. 397,800, 4.142, 7.236, al.; θεόσυτος ἢ βρότειος ἢ κεκραμένη A. Pr. 116.

2. ἢ . . ἤ either . . or, ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντʼ ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα Il. 1.27, cf. 151, 5.484, etc.; so ἢ . . ἤτοι . . Pi. N. 6.4, Fr. 138; ἤτοι . . ἤ . . A. Ag. 662, S. Ant. 1182, Th. 2.40, etc. (in Classical Gr. the alternative introduced by ἤτοι is emphasized, later no distn. is implied, Ep.Rom. 6.16; ἤτοι . . ἢ . . ἤ . . PTeb. 5.59(ii B.C.)); ἤ repeated any number of times, ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας ἢ Ὀδυσῆος Il. 1.138, cf. Od. 15.84, S. Ant. 707; ἤ is prob. wrongly accented in codd. of Il. 2.289, Od. 3.348, 19.109, v. ἦ Adv.1.3: ἢ πόλις βροτός θʼ ὁμοίως A. Eu. 524(lyr.) is exceptional.

3. or else, otherwise, εἰδέναι δεῖ περὶ οὗ ἂν ᾖ ἡ βουλή, ἢ παντὸς ἁμαρτάνειν ἀνάγκη Pl. Phdr. 237c; μή με λυπεῖτε, ἢ φεύξομʼ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίης Herod. 5.74; ζῶντα κακῶς λέγειν ἐκώλυσε . . , ἢ τρεῖς δραχμὰς ἀποτίνειν ἔταξε Lex Sol. ap. Plu. Sol. 21, cf. 24, IG 12.94.10, Them. Or. 21.260a.

II. in Questions or Deliberations in Disj. form(the accentuation is ἢ (ἠέ) folld. by ἦ (ἦε), Hdn. Gr.2.24, al., A.D. Conj. 224.28):

1. Direct questions,

a. introduced by ἢ (ἠέ) , ἢ δολιχὴ νοῦσος ἦ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα . . κατέπεφνεν; Od. 11.172; ἤ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἦ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε . . ; 3.72, cf. 1.408, 16.462, Il. 6.378, 15.735, 16.12, etc.

b. without an introductory Particle, θεός νύ τις ἦ βροτός ἐσσι; art thou a goddess or a mortal? Od. 6.149, cf. 1.226, 4.314,372,643, 20.130, 21.194, Il. 10.63,425,534, 15.203: accented ἦ, Hdn.Gr.2.145, al., but ἤ freq. in codd. of Hom. and always in codd. of later writers: ἤκουσας ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσας ἢ κωφῇ λέγω; A. Th. 202; ἄρτι δὲ ἥκεις ἢ πάλαι; Pl. Cri. 43a; κακουργεῖν δεῖ ἢ οὔ; ib.49c; preceded by πότερον, πότερον δοκεῖ σοι κάκιον εἶναι, τὸ ἀδικεῖν ἢ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι; Id. Grg. 474c, etc.

2. Indirect questions, freq. epexegetic of a preceding question and identical in form with direct questions.

a. εἴπʼ ἄγε, . . ἤ ῥʼ ἐθέλει . . , ἦ ἀπέειπε . . Il. 9.674; ὄφρα δαῶμεν ἢ ἐτεὸν Κάλχας μαντεύεται ἦε καὶ οὐκί 2.300; διάνδιχα μερμήριξεν ἢ ὅ γε . . ἐναρίζοι ἦε χόλον παύσειεν 1.190; later with εἰ . . ἤ A. Ch. 890,Ag. 478, S. OC 80, etc.; πότερον or πότερα . . ἤ . . Id. Pers. 148, 352, Ag. 630, etc.; sts. εἴτε . . ἤ E. El. 897; ἢ . . εἴτε S. Aj. 177.

b. without introductory Particle, οὐδέ τι οἶδα ζώει ὅ γʼ ἦ τέθνηκε Od. 11.464, cf. Il. 10.546, Od. 24.238.

B. COMPARATIVE, than, as, after a Comp., Il. 11.162, etc.: after positive Adjs. which imply comparison, ἄλλος, ἕτερος ἤ . . , S. OT 595, Tr. 835(lyr.); ἐναντίος ἤ Pl. Grg. 481c; ἴδιόν τι πάσχειν πάθος ἢ οἱ ἄλλοι ibid.: after Advbs. or adverbial phrases, πλήν, πρίν, πρόσθεν, χωρίς (qq. v.), ἀλλά (v. ἀλλʼ ἤ) ; τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἤ . . Id. Cri. 44a (f.l. in Smp. 173a); ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ ϝέτει ἀπὸ τῶ ποτεχεῖ ϝέτεος ἢ Ἀριστίων ἐφορεύει Tab.Heracl. 1.121; παρὰ δόξαν ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς κατεδόκεε Hdt. 1.79, cf. 8.4; διαφερόντως ἤ . . Pl. Phd. 85b; οὐδʼ ὅσον ἤ . . not so much as . . , not more than . . , Theoc. 9.21: after Verbs implying comparison, βούλεσθαι ἤ . . to wish rather than . . , v. βούλομαι IV, αἱρέω B. II.1b; so φθάνειν ἤ . . to come sooner than . . , Il. 23.445, Od. 11.58; ἐπιθυμεῖν ἤ . . X. Cyr. 1.4.3; δέχεσθαι ἤ . . Lys. 10.21: less freq. after a word not implying comparison, δίκαιον ἡμέας ἔχειν . . (sc. μᾶλλον) ἤ περ Ἀθηναίους Hdt. 9.26; ἐμοὶ πικρὸς . . ἢ κείνοις γλυκύς S. Aj. 966(s.v.l.); δεδικαιωμένος ἢ ἐκεῖνος Ev.Luc. 18.14.

2. joining two Comparatives which refer to the same subject, πάντες κʼ ἀρησαίατʼ ἐλαφρότεροι πόδας εἶναι ἢ ἀφνειότεροι Od. 1.165; ταχύτερα ἢ σοφώτερα Hdt. 3.65; μανικώτεροι ἢ ἀνδρειότεροι Pl. Tht. 144b, cf. Ar. Ach. 1078.

3. rarely after a Sup., πλεῖστα θωμάσια ἔχει Αἴγυπτος ἢ ἄλλη πᾶσα χώρη Hdt. 2.35 (s.v.l.); πίθοιτό κεν ὔμμι μάλιστα ἢ ἐμοί A.R. 3.91.

4. ἢ οὐ is used when a neg. precedes, οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον ἐπʼ ἡμέας ἢ οὐ καὶ ἐπʼ ὑμέας Hdt. 4.118, cf.5.94, Th. 2.62, etc.: after an implied neg., ὠμὸν . . πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους Id. 3.36.

5. freq. omitted with numerals after πλείων, ἐλάττων, μείων, ἔτη . . πλείω ἑβδομήκοντα v.l. in Pl. Ap. 17d; οὐ μεῖον πεντακοσίους X. An. 6.4.24: sts. with an inf. or conditional clause, τί γὰρ ἀνδρὶ κακὸν μεῖζον ἁμαρτεῖν E. Alc. 879; τίς εὐπραξία σπανιωτέρα . . , εἰ [δύναμις] πάρεστιν (for ἢ δύναμιν παρεῖναι); Th. 1.33.

6. pleon. with a gen., τίς ἂν αἰσχίων εἴη ταύτης δόξα, ἢ δοκεῖν . . Pl. Cri. 44c, cf. Lys. 10.28.

7. the Disj. and Comp. uses are found together in Il. 15.511 βέλτερον, ἢ ἀπολέσθαι ἕνα χρόνον ἠὲ βιῶναι, ἢ δηθὰ στρεύγεσθαι ἐν αἰνῆ δηϊοτῆτι better, either to die once for all or win life, than long to toil in battle. [ἢ οὐ, ἢ οὐκ combine by Synizesis into one syll. in Trag. and Com., A. Pr. 330, S. Aj. 334, Ar. Lys. 128; so usually in Ep., Od. 1.298, al.; ἢ αὐτός Hes. Fr. 194; ἢ εἰ Alex. 201.]