ἤτοι

See also: ήτοι

Ancient Greek

Etymology

ἤ (ḗ) +‎ τοι (toi)

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɛ̌ː.toi̯/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈe̝.ty/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ty/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ty/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ti/

Conjunction

ἤτοι • (ḗtoi)

either
or

Usage notes

Paired with ἤ (ḗ) to form an “either... or...” construction; it can appear either first (ἤτοι... ἤ... (ḗtoi... ḗ...)) or second (ἤ... ἤτοι... (ḗ... ḗtoi...)). It can also introduce more than two alternatives (ἤτοι... ἤ... ἤ... (ḗtoi... ḗ... ḗ...)). In earlier language, ἤτοι (ḗtoi) was more emphatic than ἤ (ḗ), but in the later language this is not necessarily the case.

Particle

ἤτοι • (ḗtoi) (discourse particle)

synonym of τοι (toi)

References

“ἤτοι”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press