both in direct and indirect questions; once in Hom., οὐκ ἂν γνοίης ποτέροισι μετείηIl.5.85; κότερα τούτων αἱρετώτερά ἐστι ..;Hdt.3.52, cf. 1.126; πότερα τύχης καὶ πότερα γνώμης ἔργα κρίνεις;X.Mem. 1.4.4; σκόπει πρὸς ποτέρους διαλέγῃPl.R.528a, etc.: sts. the two objects referred to follow in apposition, ἐρωτώσης τῆς μητρός, π. καλλίων ..δοκεῖ εἶναι, ὁ πατὴρ ἢ οὗτοσX.Cyr.1.3.2, cf. Mem.1.6.9; πότερος .., ὁ ἰατρὸς ἢ ὁ ὀψοποιός;Pl.Grg.464d, cf. 498a, etc.; modified by τισ, Id.Lg.715a, etc.; repeated in the same sentence, πότερος ποτερου φίλος γίγνεται;Id.Ly.212a. II. neut. πότερον and πότερα (interchangeable, πότερον δέδρακεν ἢ οὔ, καὶ πότερ' ἄκων ἢ ἑκών;D.23.79, cf. X.Mem.3.6.16), as Adv. at the beginning of an interrog. sentence containing two alternative propositions, the second being connected by ἤ ..,
whether ..or,
a. in direct questions, Pi.P.11.22, Fr.213, B.17.33, Hdt.1.88, etc.; τίνες κατῆρξαν, πότερον Ἕλληνες ἢ παῖς ἐμός;A.Pers.351, etc.; πότερα δικαστὴν ἢ δικηφόρον λέγεις;Id.Ch.120, cf. Supp.336. b. in indirect questions, ἐπείρεσθαι κότερα τὴν ἑωυτοῦ ἢ τὴν Κύρου λέγοι ἀρχήνHdt.1.91, cf. 3.32, etc.: the Verb is sts. repeated, π. οὐδενὶ δύναται ἀρέσαι, ἢ ἔστιν οἷς καὶ πάνυ ἀρέσκει;X.Mem. 2.3.6: sts. π. precedes the common Verb, π. βούλοιτο μένειν ἢ ἀπιέναι;Id.Cyr.1.3.15, cf. Oec.18.1. 2. sts. a third clause (with ἤ) is inaccurately added, κότερα παρὰ δήμου ἢ ὀλιγαρχίης ἢ μουνάρχου;Hdt. 3.82, cf. A.Supp.247, S.OT112; and a fourth, Id.El.539. 3. the second alternative is sts. left to be supplied, πότερα δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε (sc. ἢ μή ..); Id.Ph.1235, cf. OC333, A.Pers.239, Th.94 (lyr.), Ag.274, Pl.Sph.228a, R.501d, etc. 4.πότερον is sts. omitted in the first clause, ἐπισκέψασθαι .., ὀρθὴ ἢ ψευδήσId.Tht.161d, cf. Lg. 670b. 5. in affirmative sentences, π ..ἤ,
either ..
or, Corn.ND14, al.; so π ... ἤ ..ἤ ib.27. III. indef.,
one of other, either of the two,
τί οὐ λέγει π. ὑμῶν;Pl.La.181d; τούτων ποτέροις ἐπακολουθῆσαιId.Chrm.171b, cf. R.499c, Phlb.20e, Tht.145b, etc.; ἅτεροι πότεροι, = ὁποτεροιοῦν, SIG421.31 (Thermon, iii B. C.): for ὁπότερος, ἐξέστω αὐτῷ πότερον ἂν βούληται, ἤ ..ἤ ..Abh.Berl.Akad.1925(5).7 (Cyrene, iii B. C.): in this sense Phot. would make it oxyt. ποτερός, ά, όν.IV.Adv.ποτέρως, v. sub voc. (I.-E.