A.twofold, and so,
I. single, “ἁπλῆ γὰρ οἶμος εἰς Ἁ´ιδου φέρει” A.Fr.239, cf. X. Cyr.1.3.4 (Comp.); “ἁπλῷ τείχει περιτειχίζειν” Th.3.18; “δὶς τόσ᾽ ἐξ ἁπλῶν κακά” S.Aj.277; “ὅπως ἂν ἡ χάρις ἐξ ἁπλῆς διπλῆ φανῇ” Id.Tr. 619; “ἁπλᾶς δὲ λύπας ἐξὸν οὐκ οἴσω διπλᾶς” E.IT688.
II. simple, plain, straightforward, “κελεύθοις ἁπλόαις ζωᾶς” Pi.N.8.36; “ἁ. ὁ μῦθος” A.Ch.554; “ἁ. λόγῳ” Id.Pr.610,al.; ὡς ἁ. λόγῳ ib.46, Ar.Ach.1151; ἁ. λόγος the matter is simple, E.Hel.979; ἁ. διήγησις simple narrative (without dialogue), Pl.R.392d; οὐκ ἐς ἁπλοῦν φέρει leads to no simple issue, S.OT519; “ἁπλᾶ γε καὶ σαφῆ λέγω μαθεῖν” Alex.240.7; “οὐδὲν ἔχω ἁπλούστερον λέγειν” X.Cyr.3.1.32; of single-membered periods, Demetr.Eloc.17, etc.; of habits, “ἁπλούστατος βίος” Plb.9.10.5; “νόμοι λίαν ἁ. καὶ βαρβαρικοί” Arist.Pol.1268b39; “ἁπλοῦν ἦν . . ἀποθανεῖν” a plain course, Men.14.
b. of persons, or their words, thoughts, and acts, simple, open, frank, “ἁπλᾶ γάρ ἐστι τῆς ἀληθείας ἔπη” A.Fr.176; “ἁ. καὶ γενναῖος” Pl.R.361b, etc.; “ἁ. τρόποι” E.IA927; opp. δόλος, Ar.Pl.1158; “πρὸς τοὺς φίλους ὡς ἁπλούστατον εἶναι” X. Mem.4.2.16.
c. simple-minded, “ὁ κριτὴς ὑπόκειται εἶναι ἁ.” Arist. Rh.1357a12, cf. HA608b4 (Comp.), Rh.1367a37; in bad sense, simple, silly, Isoc.2.46; “λίαν γὰρ ἁπλοῦν τὸ νομίζειν . .” Arist.Mete.339b34.
III. simple, opp. compound or mixed, Pl.R.547e, etc.; opp. μεμιγμένος, κεκραμένος, Arist.Metaph.989b17, Sens.447a18; “ἁ. χρώματα” Id.Col.791a1; ἁ. ὀνόματα, opp. διπλᾶ, Id.Po.1457a31; also of nouns, without the article, A.D.Synt.98.17, al.; of the positive adjective, Plu.2.412e, etc.
c. of precious metals, unalloyed, pure, SIG901.9 (Delph., iv A. D.), PCair.67041.
3. simple, unqualified (cf. “ἁπλῶς” 11.3), “οὐ πάνυ μοι δοκεῖ . . οὕτως ἁπλοῦν εἶναι ὥστε . .” Pl.Prt.331b, cf. Smp.206a, Tht.188d, al.
IV. Adv. ἁπλῶς, v. sub voc.
V. Comp. and Sup. ἁπλούστερος, ἁπλούστατος, v. supr.; irreg. Sup. “ἁπλότατος” AP6.185 (Zos.). (Cf. δι-πλόος; ἁ- = sṃ; -πλόος perh. identical with πλοῦς 'voyage', cf. Serb. jedan put '(one journey, hence) once'; transition from 'once' to 'simple' as in Lett. vienkars^s 'simple' (cf. Lith. vienkart 'once').)