A.when? at what time? Il.19.227, Od.4.642; “πότ᾽ εἰ μὴ νῦν . .;” A.Th.101 (lyr.), cf. Ch.394 (lyr.); πότ᾽ ἆρα; = πότε with “ἆρα” 1.4 or 11, E.Ion563; “πότε δή;” A.Ch.720 (lyr.); “ἐς πότε λήξει;” S.Aj.1185 (lyr.); “ἐκ πότε . . ἤρξασθε” SIG832.9 (Astypalaea, ii A. D.).
II. indef. ποτε (Att., also Arc. in “οὔποτε” IG5(2).343.48,66 (Orchom., iv B. C.), οὔτε ποτέ Tab.Defix. in Philol. 59.201, and Cypr. in “μήποτε” Inscr.Cypr.144H.), Ion. κοτε , Dor. ποκα , Aeol. ποτα Sapph.1.5, enclit. Particle:
1. at some time or other, at some time, “τάχ᾽ ἄν ποτε θυμὸν ὀλέσσῃ” Il.1.205, cf. Od. 2.76, etc.; π. καὶ ἄλλοτε at certain other times, X.An.6.4.12, Arist. Po.1451a9, Luc.Herm.24.
2. in hypoth. clauses, questions, etc., at any time, ever, S.Aj.755,1133; “εἴ κοτε” Call.Aet.Oxy.2080.69; cf. εἴ ποτε: also with relatives (cf. δήποτε)“, Ζεὺς ὅστις ποτ᾽ ἐστίν” A.Ag. 160 (lyr.), etc.; ὅποι ποτέ, ὅπου π., etc., S.Ph.780, Aj.194 (lyr.), etc.; after πω, πη, v. πώποτε, πήποκα: very freq. with negatives, οὔτε ποτ᾽ . . Il.1.226; “οὐδέ ποτ᾽” Hes.Th.759; “οὐδέν ποτ᾽ ἄλλο” A.Ch.16; “οὐδεὶς ἐρεῖ ποθ᾽” S.Aj.481; “οὐκ ἂν δή ποτε” Il.19.271, etc.; “τοῦτο μὴ δόξῃς ποτέ” S.Ant.762, cf. 648, 750, etc.; cf. οὔποτε, μήποτε, οὐδέποτε, μηδέποτε, οὐπώποτε, μηπώποτε.
3. in correl. clauses it stands first, with accent, “ποτὲ μὲν . . , ποτὲ δὲ . .” at one time . . , at another . . , Pl. Tht.170c (s. v. l.), Plb.4.38.6, etc.; “ποτὲ μὲν . . , αὖθις δὲ . .” Pl.R.560a; “ποτὲ . . , τοτὲ δ᾽ οὔ” Id.Tht.192d; “ποτ᾽ εἶχε . . , εἶτά γε νῦν” D.36.50; “ποτὲ μὲν . . νῦν δέ” Luc.DMort.11.1; ποτὲ δὲ . . , without any preceding Part., Thphr.Char.9.7 (dub.).
III. of some unknown point of time,
1. in ref. to the past, once, “ὅν ποτ᾽ Ἀθήνη θρέψε” Il.2.547, etc.; οὕς ποτ᾽ ἀπ᾽ Αἰνείαν ἑλόμην, of the day before, 8.108 (v. Sch.), cf. 14.45; “ἤδη π.” 1.260, S.Aj.1142, Ar.Nu.346, Ra.931; “ποτ᾽ ἤδη” A.Eu.50; “πρόσθε πού ποτ᾽” S.OC1549; “χρόνῳ ποτ᾽” Id.Ant.303; esp. in telling a story, once upon a time, “οὕτω ποτ᾽ ἦν μῦς καὶ γαλῆ” Ar.V.1182, cf. Pl. Phdr.237b: with historic pres., S.OT715, E.El.416, Ba.2: with a Subst., “εἰς τήν π. φιλίαν” And.3.22; “τυράννου . . πάλαι π.” S.OT1043, cf.Ph.677 (lyr.), Tr.555.
b. at length, “μόγις δή κοτε εἶπε” Hdt.1.116; “μόγις οὖν π.” Pl.Prt.314e, etc.; “ὀψὲ γοῦν π.” Hierocl.in CA27p.484M.
2. in ref. to the future, at some time, “καί π. τοι . . παρέσσεται . . δῶρα” Il.1.213, cf. 240, S.OC386, Ant.912, etc.: also to denote earnest expectation, at length, “εὔχεταί π. οἶκον ἰδεῖν” Pi.P.4.293; “ἔμελλον ἄρα παύσειν π.” Ar.Ra.268; esp. with imper., “μέθες π.” dimitte tandem aliquando, S.Ph.816; τείσασθ᾽, ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ π. ib.1041, etc.; “ὀψέ π.” Jul.Or.1.31d.
3. with intensive force, in questions, τίς ποτε; who in the world? “τίνες ποτ᾽ ἐστέ;” A.Eu.408, cf. S.Ph.220, etc.; τί ποτ᾽ ἐστὶ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος what it can possibly be, Pl.Tht. 187d; “οὐκ ἐξερεῖς ποτε;” S.OT335, cf. 754, Aj.1290, etc.; to strengthen ἀεί, ἀεί ποτε from all time, always in the past, “ἀεί ποτε ζῇ ταῦτα” Id.Ant.456, cf. Aj.320, Th.6.82, al., D.C.42.5; “ἀεὶ δή π.” Th.1.13, 8.73.