οἷος
Etym. ὅς
"such as, what sort or manner of nature, kind", or "temper", Lat. qualis, relat. Pronoun, correlative to the interrog. ποῖος, the indef. ποιός, and the demonstr. τοῖος, Hom., Hes., etc.; strengthd., ὅσσος ἔην οἷός τε, Lat. qualis erat quantusque, Il.: c. acc., οἷος ἀρετήν "what a man for" virtue, id=Il.; often only to be rendered by an adv., οἷος μέτεισι πόλεμόνδε "how" he rushes into war, id=Il. Usage:
I. οἷος in an indepent sentence expresses astonishment, strengthd. by δή, οἷον δὴ τὸν μῦθον ἐπεφράσθης ἀγορεῦσαι "why, what" a word it has come into thy mind to speak! Od.; so in neut., as adv., v. infr. v.
2. so in indirect sentences, where no antec. can be supplied, ὁρῶν ἐν οἵοις ἐσμέν Xen.
II. containing a Comparison, often without an antec., οἷος ἀστὴρ εἶσι "like as" a star wanders, Il.; οἷος καὶ Πάρις ᾔσχυνε "like as" Paris also dishonoured, Aesch.:—in this sense, οἷος is often attached to the case of its antec., πρὸς ἄνδρας τολμηρούς, οἵους Ἀθηναίους (for οἷοιἈθηναῖοι), Thuc.
2. οἷος, οἵα, οἷον, esp. in attic, often stand for ὅτι τοῖος, τοία, τοῖον, so that the relat. introduces the "reason" for the preceding statement, ἄνακτα χόλος λάβεν, οἷον ἄκουσεν anger seized the king, "because of what" he heard. Il.
3. but if the Comparison is general, Hom. uses οἷός τε (which must be distinguished from οἷός τε c. inf., v. infr. III. 2), οἷός τε Ἄρης "some such one as" Ares, Il.; also, οἷός τις "the sort of person" who, Hom.
4. when a Comparison involves Time, οἷος ὅ τε is used, "like as when..", Od.
5. οἷος is used in many brief attic phrases, οὐδὲν γὰρ οἷον ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ τοῦ νόμου there's nothing "like" hearing the words of the law, Dem.; —it adds force to the Sup., χωρίον οἷον χαλεπώτατον, ῀ τοιοῦτον οἷόν ἐστι χαλεπώτατον, Xen.
III. οἷος with inf. implies Fitness or Ability to do, οἷος ἔην τελέσαι ἔργον τε ἔπος τε "so ready" was he to make good both deed and word, Od.; οἷος ἔην βουλευέμεν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι "so good" both at counsel and in fight, Od.; τὸ πρᾶγμα μέγα καὶ μὴ οἷον νεωτέρῳ βουλεύσασθαι the matter is great and not "such as" for a young man to advise upon, Thuc.; without an inf., ὁ δ᾽ οἷός ἐστιν οἰκουρὸς μόνον "fit" only [to be] a house-dog, Ar.
2. but this sense is commonly expressed by οἷός τε, c. inf., "fit or able" to do, λέγειν οἷός τε κἀγώ id=Ar.; οἷός τε ἦν πείθειν Dem.: freq. in neut. sg. and pl., οἷόν τε ἐστί and οἷά τε ἐστί, οἷόν τε γίγνεται it is "possible", Hdt., attic; without inf., οἷόν τε ἐστίν "it is possible", οὐχ οἷόν τε ἐστίν it "cannot" be, Ar.; with a Sup., καλὸν ὡς οἷόν τε μάλιστα "as" beautiful "as" is possible, Plat.; ὡς οἷόν τε διὰ βραχυτάτων id=Plat.
IV. the relat. is in attic often repeated in the same clause, οἷ᾽ ἔργα δράσας οἷα λαγχάνει κακά after "what" deeds "what" sufferings are his! Soph.; οἵαν ἀνθ᾽ οἵων θυμάτων χάριν "what" thanks and "for what" offerings! id=Soph.
V. as adv. in neut., to add force, οἷον ἐερσήεις "how" fresh, Il.; οἷα ἀτάσθαλα Od.:—the regul. adv. οἵως is seldom used, οἷος ὢν οἵως ἔχεις "in what a state" art thou for such a man! Soph.
2. in Comparisons, "as, like as, just as", Hom., Trag.; οἷά τις ἀηδών Aesch.;— οἷον ὅτε "like as when", cf. II. 4.
b. "as", οἷον τί λέγεις; "as for example", what do you mean? Plat.
3. like ὡς with a partic., οἷα ἀπροσδοκήτου γενομένου "inasmuch as" it was unexpected, Thuc.
4. with Numerals, "about", οἷον δέκα σταδίους, etc.