Strong G4220πότερος

πότερος, α, ον;
Ionic dialect κότερος, η, ον: whether of the two? both in direct and indirect questions; once in [Refs 8th c.BC+ (8th c.BC: Homerus Epicus, οὐκ ἂν γνοίης ποτέροισι μετείη 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 5.85; κότερα τούτων αἱρετώτερά ἐστι..; 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.52, compare 1.126; πότερα τύχης καὶ πότερα γνώμης ἔργα κρίνει; 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 1.4.4; σκόπει πρὸς ποτέρους διαλέγῃ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 528a, etc.)]: sometimes the two objects referred to follow in apposition, ἐρωτώσης τῆς μητρός, π. καλλίων.. δοκεῖ εἶναι, ὁ πατὴρ ἢ οὗτος [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 1.3.2, compare “Mem.” 1.6.9; πότερος.., ὁ ἰατρὸς ἢ ὁ ὀψοποιό; 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Gorgias” 464d, compare 498a, etc.)]; modified by τις, [Refs ([prev. author] “Lg.” 715a, etc.)]; repeated in the same sentence, πότερος ποτερου φίλος γίγνετα; [Refs ([prev. author] “Ly.” 212a.)]
II neuter πότερον and πότερα (interchangeable, πότερον δέδρακεν ἢ οὔ, καὶ πότερ᾽ ἄκων ἢ ἑκώ; [Refs 5th c.BC+ (4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 23.79, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 3.6.16), as)] adverb at the beginning of an interrogative sentence containing two alternative propositions, the second being connected by ἤ.., whether.. or,
II.a in direct questions, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “P.” 11.22, “fragment” 213, 5th c.BC: Bacchylides Lyricus 17.33, 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.88, etc.; τίνες κατῆρξαν, πότερον Ἕλληνες ἢ παῖς ἐμό; 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 351, etc.; πότερα δικαστὴν ἢ δικηφόρον λέγει; [prev. author] “Ch.” 120, compare “Supp.” 336.)]
II.b in indirect questions, ἐπείρεσθαι κότερα τὴν ἑωυτοῦ ἢ τὴν Κύρου λέγοι ἀρχήν [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.91, compare 3.32, etc.: the Verb is sometimes repeated, π. οὐδενὶ δύναται ἀρέσαι, ἢ ἔστιν οἷς καὶ πάνυ ἀρέσκε; 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 2.3.6: sometimes π.)] precedes the common Verb, π. βούλοιτο μένειν ἢ ἀπιένα; [Refs ([prev. author] “Cyr.” 1.3.15, compare “Oec.” 18.1.)]
II.2 sometimes a third clause (with ἤ) is inaccurately added, κότερα παρὰ δήμου ἢ ὀλιγαρχίης ἢ μουνάρχο; [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.82, compare 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Supplices” 247, 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 112)]; and a fourth, [Refs ([prev. author] “El.” 539.)]
II.3 the second alternative is sometimes left to be supplied, πότερα δὴ κερτομῶν λέγεις τάδε (i.e. ἢ μή..); [Refs 5th c.BC+ ([prev. author] “Ph.” 1235, compare “OC” 333, 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 239, “Th.” 94 (Lyric poetry), “Ag.” 274, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Sophista” 228a, “R.” 501d, etc.)]
II.4 πότερον is sometimes omitted in the first clause, ἐπισκέψασθαι.., ὀρθὴ ἢ ψευδής [Refs ([prev. author] “Tht.” 161d, compare “Lg.” 670b.)]
II.5 in affirmative sentences, π.. ἤ, either.. or, [Refs 1st c.AD+ (1st c.AD: Cornutus Philosophus “de Natura Deorum” 14, +others; so π... ἤ.. ἤ [prev. work] 27.)]
III indefinite, one of other, either of the two, τί οὐ λέγει π. ὑμῶ; [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Laches” 181d; τούτων ποτέροις ἐπακολουθῆσαι [prev. author] “Chrm.” 171b, compare “R.” 499c, “Phlb.” 20e, “Tht.” 145b, etc.)]; ἅτεροι πότεροι, ={ὁποτεροιοῦν}, [Refs 3rd c.BC+ (“SIG” 421.31 (Thermon, 3rd c.BC): for ὁπότερος, ἐξέστω αὐτῷ πότερον ἂν βούληται, ἤ.. ἤ.. “Abh.Berl.Akad.” 1925(5).7 (Cyrene, 3rd c.BC): in this sense 9th c.AD: Photius Legal icographus, etc.)] would make it oxytone ποτερός, ά, o/n.
IV adverb ποτέρως, see entry (I.-[Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus)] q[uglide]o-tero-s, cf. Sanskrit katarás, Gothic hwapar 'which of two?')