ἔπος

A. vácas 'word', 'hymn', cf. εἶπον):

I. word, παύρῳ ἔπει in short utterance, Pi.O. 13.98 ; “ἐπέων κόσμος” Parm.8.52, Democr.21 ; “ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν” S. OC443 ; “λόγοι ἔπεσι κοσμηθέντες” Th.3.67 : generally, that which is uttered in words, speech, tale, “ἔπος ἐρέειν” Il.3.83, etc.; “φάσθαι” Xenoph. 7.3, Parm.1.23, etc.; joined with μῦθος, Od.4.597, 11.561.—Special uses,

1. song or lay accompanied by music, 8.91,17.519.

2. pledged word, promise, Il.8.8 ; τελέσαι ἔπος fulfil, keep one's word, 14.44, cf. A.Pr.1033.

3. word in season, counsel, Il.1.216, 2.807, Od.18.166, etc.; freq. in Trag., E.Hel.513, etc.

4. word of a deity, oracle, Od.12.266, Hdt.1.13, etc.

5. saying, proverb, “τὸ παλαιὸν ἔπος” Id.7.51, cf. Ar.Av.507.

6. word, opp. deed, ἔπε᾽ ἀκράαντα words of none effect, opp. ἔτυμα, Od.19.565, cf. E.HF111 (lyr.); opp. ἔργον, Il.15.234, Od.2.272, etc., cf. 11.1 ; “αἴτε ϝέπος αἴτε ϝάργον” SIG9 (Elis, vi B.C.); opp. βίη, Il.15.106 ; opp. χεῖρες, 1.77 (pl.).

7. subject of a speech, message, 11.652, 17.701, S.OT 1144, etc.

II. later usages,

1. joined with ἔργον or “πρᾶγμα” Heraclit.1, A.Pers.174 (troch.), Ar.Eq.39, etc.; “ἔργῳ τε καὶ ἔπει” Pl. Lg.879c ; “ἅμα ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐποίεε” Hdt.3.134 ; “χρηστὰ ἔργα καὶ ἔπεα ποιέειν” Id.1.90.

2. κατ᾽ ἔπος word by word, “κατ᾽ ἔ. βασανιεῖν φησι τὰς τραγῳδίας” Ar.Ra.802.

3. πρὸς ἔπος at the first word, Luc. Ep.Sat.37.

b. word in exchange for word, ἀμείβεσθαι, ἀποκρίνεσθαι, of an oracle, Id.Alex.19, Philops.38 ; also “ἔ. δ᾽ ἀμείβου πρὸς ἔ.” A.Eu. 586, cf. Ar.Nu.1375, Pl.Sph.217d.

c. οὐδὲν πρὸς ἔ. to no purpose, Ar.Ec.751 ; also, nothing to the purpose, “ἐὰν μηδὲν πρὸς ἔ. ἀποκρίνωμαι” Pl.Euthd.295c, cf. Luc.Herm.36 ; τί πρὸς ἔπος; Pl.Phlb.18d.

4. ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν almost, practically, qualifying a too absolute expression, esp. with πᾶς and οὐδείς (not with metaphors), Pl.Ap.17a, Phd. 78e, Grg.456a, al., Arist.Metaph.1009b16, Pol.1252b29, D.9.47, etc. ; opp. ὄντως or ἀκριβεῖ λόγῳ, Pl.Lg.656e, R.341b ; later “ὡς ἔ. ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν” POxy.67.14(iv A.D.) ; in Trag., “ὡς εἰπεῖν ἔ.” A.Pers.714(troch.), E.Heracl.167,Hipp.1162, once in Pl.,Lg.967b(s.v.l.).

5. ἑνὶ ἔπει in one word, briefly, “ἑνὶ ἔπεϊ πάντα συλλαβόντα λέγειν” Hdt.3.82.

III. of single words, esp. with ref. to etymology or usage, Id.2.30, Ar. Nu.638, Pl.Prt.339a, etc.; ὀρθότης ἐπῶν,=ὀρθοέπεια (q.v.), Ar.Ra. 1181 ; ἄριστ᾽ ἐπῶν ἔχον ib.1161.

IV. in pl., epic poetry, opp. μέλη (lyric poetry), ἰαμβεῖα, διθύραμβοι, etc., “ῥαπτῶν ἐπέων ἀοιδοί” Pi.N.2.2 ; “τὰ Κύπρια ἔπεα” Hdt.2.117, cf. Th.1.3, X.Mem.1.4.3, Pl.R.379a, etc. ; “ἔπεά τε ποιεῖν πρὸς λύραν τ᾽ ἀείδειν” Theoc.Ep.21.6 ; “νικήσας ἔπος” IG3.1020 ; ποητὴς ἐπῶν ib.7.3197.9 (Orchom. Boeot.), cf. OGI51.37 (Egypt, iii B.C.).

b. generally, poetry, even lyrics, Alcm.25(prob.), Pi.O.3.8, etc.

c. lines, verses, esp. of spoken lines in the drama, Ar.Ra.862, 956, etc. : sg., verse, line of poetry, Hdt.4.29, Pl.Min. 319d ; group of verses, Id.R.386c, Hdt.7.143.

d. lines of writing, “μυρίων ἐπῶν μῆκος” Isoc.12.136 ; ἐν ὅλοις ἑπτὰ ἔπεσι παραδραμεῖν, of a historian, Luc.Hist.Conscr.28.

source: LSJ at the Perseus Project