ὅσος
Etym. like Lat.
I. "quantus", of Size, "as great as, how great;" of Quantity, "as much as, how much;" of Space, "as far as, how far;" of Time, "as long as, how long;" of Number, "as many as, how many;" of Sound, "as loud as, how loud;" in pl. "as many as", Lat. quot:—its antecedent is τόσος, after which ὅσος is simply "as;" τόσσον χρόνον, ὅσσον ἄνωγας so long time "as" thou dost order, Il.:—often the antec. is omitted, φωνὴ ὅση σκύλακος Od.
2. with τις, to denote "indefinite" size or number, ὅσον τι δένδρον Hdt., etc.
3. with Adjs. expressing Quantity, ὄχλος ὑπερφυὴς ὅσος prodigiously "large", Ar.; θαυμαστὸν ὅσον διαφέρει differs "amazingly", Plat.;—so in Lat. mirum quantum, immane quantum.
4. with Sup., ὅσα πλεῖστα the most possible, Hdt., etc.; v. infr. III. 4.
5. c. inf. "so much as is enough", ὅσον ἀποζῆν "enough to" live off, Thuc.; ὅσον δοκεῖν "enough for" appearance, Soph.
6. with ind., ὅσσον ἔγωγε γιγνώσκω "so far as" I know, Il.; ὅσονπερ σθένω Soph., etc.
II. followed by Particles: ὅσος ἄν "how great soever", with Subjunct., Hom., etc.
2. ὅσος δή "how much", ἐπὶ μισθῷ ὅσῳ δή for payment "of a certain amount", Hdt.:— ὁσοσοῦν, ionic -ῶν, "ever so small", id=Hdt.
III. ὅσον and ὅσα as adv.:
1. "so far as, so much as", οὐ μέντοι ἐγὼ τόσον αἴτιός εἰμι, ὅσσον οἱ ἄλλοι Il.; c. inf., ὅσον γ᾽ ἔμ᾽ εἰδέναι "so far as" I know, Ar.
b. "how far, how much", ἴστε ὅσσον περιβάλλετον ἵπποι ye know "how much" they excel, Il.;—with Adjs. "how", ὅσον μέγα Hes., etc.
2. "only so far as, only just", ὅσον ἐς Σκαιάς τε πύλας καὶ φηγὸν ἵκανεν Il.; εἰ μὴ ὅσον γραφῇ except "only" by a picture, Hdt.
3. in reference to distances, ὅσον τε, "about, nearly", ὅσον τ᾽ ὄργυιαν Od.; ὅσον τε δέκα στάδια Hdt.
4. with Adjs., ὅσσον βασιλεύτερός εἰμι "so far as, inasmuch as" I am a greater king, Il.; ὅσον εἰμὶ κάρτιστος "how" I am "far" the strongest, id=Il.: —so with Advs., ὅσον τάχιστα attic; ὅσον μάλιστα Aesch.
5. with negatives, ὅσον οὐ or ὁσονού, Lat. tantum non, only not, all but, Thuc.; ὅσον οὐκ ἤδη "immediately", Eur.: οὐχ ὅσον οὐκ ἠμύναντο, ἀλλ᾽ not "only" did they "not" avenge themselves, Thuc.:— ὅσον μή "so far as not, save or except so far as", ὅσον γε μὴ ποτιψαύων "so far as I can without" touching.., Soph., etc.
IV. ὅσῳ, ὅσῳ περ, "by how much", ὅσῳ πλέον Hes.; διέδεξε, ὅσῳ ἐστὶ τοῦτο ἄριστον Hdt.
2. ὅσῳ with comp. when followed by another comp. with τοσούτῳ, like Lat. quo or "quanto melior, eo magis", ὅσῳ μᾶλλον πιστεύω, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἀπορῶ Plat.
V. ἐς ὅσον, ἐφ᾽ ὅσον, καθ᾽ ὅσον are often used much like ὅσον, εἰς ὅσον σθένω Soph.; ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ἠδύνατο Thuc.
2. ἐν ὅσῳ, "while", Ar., Thuc.