1. as Subst., = δέσποινα (cf. Apion ap.Apollon.Lex.), mistress, queen (v. sub fin.), “πότνιαν ἁγνήν” h.Cer. 203: mostly c. gen., πότνια θηρῶν (nom.) queen of wild beasts, of Artemis, Il.21.470; “πότνια βελέων” Pi.P.4.213; τὰν ἐρώτων πότνιαν, of Aphrodite, E.Fr.781.16 (lyr.); π. λαῶν, τοξοφόρων, Arat.112, Call. Fr.anon.338: without a gen., “π. Αὔως” Sapph.153; “πότνι᾽ Ἐρινύς” A.Th.887 (lyr.), Eu.951 (anap.); “πότνιαν ἐξαπαφὼν ἐμάν” E.Ion704 (lyr.); [“Ἱστίην] πότνιαν” h.Ven.24; “ναὶ τὰν πότνιαν” Theoc.15.14: in voc., “ὦ πότνι᾽ Ἥρα” A.Th.152 (lyr.); ὦ πότνια (sc. Ἀθηναία) Ar.Eq. 1170, al.; “ὦ πότνι᾽” E.IT533, Ar.Pax445; addressed to a mistress, AP5.269 (Paul.Sil.).
2. in pl. of the Eumenides, “ὦ πότνιαι δεινῶπες” S.OC84; “τὸ τῶν ποτνιέων ἱρόν” Hdt.9.97; of Demeter and Kore, S. OC1050 (lyr.), Ar.Th.1149 (lyr.); “θεσμοφόρους ἁγνὰς π.” Inscr.Prien. 196.3.
3. as Adj., revered, august, in Hom. of Hebe, Enyo, Calypso, Circe, Il.4.2, 5.592, Od.1.14, 8.448; most freq. of Hera, Il.1.551, al., cf. Sapph.Supp.6.2; in Hes. of Hera, Tethys, and Peitho, Th.11, 368, Op.73; “Τριτογένεια” Id.Th.926; Νίκη Bacis ap.Hdt.8.77, cf. B. 11.5; “π. μήτηρ” Il.1.357, al., Od.6.30, al.; esp. in invocation, “π. γῆ” Hom.Epigr.7.1; “ὦ π. χθών” A.Ch.722 (anap.), E.Hec.70 (anap.); μᾶτερ π., addressed to Earth, S.Ph.395 (lyr.) (also of a bird, Mosch. 4.24); “π. νύξ” E.Or.174 (lyr.); ὦ π. λήθη τῶν κακῶν ib.213; “Ἔνοσι π.” Id.Ba.585 (lyr.); “ὦ μεγάλα Θέμι καὶ π. Ἄρτεμι” Id.Med.160 (anap.); “ὦ π. αἰδώς” Id.IA821; ὦ π. μοῖρα καὶ τύχη ib.1136: the phrase π. συκῆ is used by Arist.Rh.1408a16 as a parody of Cleophon's style.—Mostly used in voc. [The first syll. is short in A.Th.152, Ch.722, E.Med. 160, Ion 873, al., Theoc. l. c., but elsewh. long, cf. πότμος: the final syll. always short in nom., voc., and acc.sg.]
