οὕτως

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

οὕτω (hoútō) – sometimes before a consonant
οὑτωσῑ́ (houtōsī́) – emphatic

Etymology

Adverb from οὗτος (hoûtos, “this”) +‎ -ως (-ōs, adverbial ending).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hǒː.tɔːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈ(h)u.tos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈu.tos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈu.tos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈu.tos/

Adverb

οὕτως • (hoútōs)

(demonstrative adverb)

in this manner, thus, so
- Homer, Iliad 4.178
- Homer, Odyssey 4.148
- Sophocles, Women of Trachis 475
- Plato, Ion 534A
- Sophocles, Women of Trachis 112
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 8.1, (compare Theocritus, Collected Works 7.45)
- Isocrates, Collected Works 269B
- Plato, The Republic 370A
- Xenophon, Anabasis 2.2.2
- Demosthenes, On the Crown 244
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.10
- Homer, Iliad 2.158
- Homer, Odyssey 5.204
- Homer, Iliad 15.201
- Homer, Odyssey 9.262
- Homer, Iliad 24.373
- Homer, Odyssey 19.300
1. even so, just so
  - Homer, Odyssey 11.348
  - Xenophon, Oeconomicus 1.9
  - Plato, The Republic 551B
2. (with imperative, added emphasis)
  - Homer, Iliad 21.184, (compare Odyssey 5.146)
3. (the introduction of the apodosis after a protasis)
  - Herodotus, Histories 7.158
  - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.131
  - Herodotus, Histories 2.92
  - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.96
  - Plato, Philebus 44E, (compare Gorgias 457C)
  - Xenophon, Anabasis 7.1.4
  - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.15
(in a really inferential sense) so, therefore
- Sophocles, Antigone 677
- Plato, Phaedo 61B
(with an adjective or adverb) so, so much, so excessively
- Homer, Iliad 3.169
- Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 1056
- Aristophanes, The Birds 63
- Herodotus, Histories 1.32
- Plato, The Republic 477A
- Xenophon, Anabasis 7.4.3
- Herodotus, Histories 4.52
- Sophocles, Antigone 220
- Aristophanes, The Acharnians 736
- Herodotus, Histories 4.28
- Herodotus, Histories 3.12
(sometimes used like αὔτως (aútōs)) so, merely, simply
- Homer, Iliad 2.120
- Plato, Symposium 176E
- Plato, Gorgias 464B
- Plato, Laws 633C
- Sophocles, Philoctetes 1067
- Sophocles, Antigone 315
- Plato, Euthyphro 3B
- Plato, Lysis 216A
- Plato, Philebus 12C
- Euripides, Alcestis 680

Usage notes

οὕτω (hoútō) is only used before a consonant, while οὕτως (hoútōs) must be used before a vowel and can be used before a consonant. οὑτωσῑ́ (houtōsī́) is a strengthened form found in Attic. οὕτως (hoútōs) is often left out after ὡς (hōs). οὕτως (hoútōs) generally comes immediately before the word it modifies, but is sometimes after, especially in poetry, and is sometimes not immediately before. The last syllable in οὕτω (hoútō) is sometimes shortened in Homer before a vowel (correption).

Derived terms

οὕτω νῦν Ζεὺς θείη (hoútō nûn Zeùs theíē, “so help me God”)
οὕτω ποτ᾽ ἦν μῦς καὶ γαλῆ (hoútō pot᾽ ên mûs kaì galê, “once upon a time”)
οὕτως ἔχειν (hoútōs ékhein, “so much for”)
ὁ οὕτω λεγόμενος (ho hoútō legómenos, “so called”)

type	interrogative	indefinite	(medial) demonstrative	proximal demonstrative	distal demonstrative	relative	indefinite relative	identity	other
basic	τίς	τις	†ὁ, οὗτος	ὅδε	ἐκεῖνος	ὅς	ὅστις	ὁ αὐτός (αὑτός), ὁμός	ἕτερος, ἄλλος
dual	πότερος	πότερος, ποτερός				ὁπότερος
quality	ποῖος	ποιός	†τοῖος, τοιοῦτος	τοιόσδε		οἷος	ὁποῖος	ὅμοιος	ἑτεροῖος, ἀλλοῖος
quantity	πόσος	ποσός	†τόσος, τοσοῦτος	τοσόσδε		ὅσος	ὁπόσος
manner	πῶς	πως	†τώς, †ὥς, οὕτως	ὧδε		ὡς	ὅπως	ὁμῶς	ἑτέρως, ἄλλως
method, path place	πῇ	πῃ	τῇ, ταύτῃ	τῇδε	ἐκείνῃ	ᾗ	ὅπῃ		ἄλλῃ
place	ποῦ, †πόθι	που, †ποθί	ἐνταῦθα		ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα, †ἐκεῖθι	οὗ, ἔνθα, †ὅθι	ὅπου, †ὁπόθι	αὐτόθι, ὁμοῦ	ἄλλοθι
source	πόθεν	ποθέν	†τόθεν, ἔνθεν, ἐντεῦθεν		ἐκεῖθεν	ὅθεν	ὁπόθεν	†ὁμόθεν	ἄλλοθεν
destination	ποῖ, †πόσε	ποι	ἔνθα, ἐνταῦθα	ἐνθάδε	ἐκεῖσε	οἷ	ὅποι, †ὁπόσε	αὐτόσε, ὁμόσε	ἄλλοσε
time	πότε, πῆμος	ποτέ, ποτε	τότε, τῆμος	τημόσδε		ὅτε, ἦμος	ὁπότε, †ὁππῆμος	ἅμα	ἄλλοτε
exact time	πηνίκα	πηνίκα	†τηνίκα, τηνικαῦτα	τηνικάδε		ἡνίκα	ὁπηνίκα	αὐτίκα
size, age	πηλίκος	πηλίκος	†τηλίκος, τηλικοῦτος	τηλικόσδε		ἡλίκος	ὁπηλίκος	ὁμῆλιξ
repetition	ποσάκις, ποσίνδα	ποσάκις	τουτάκις, τόσακις			†ὁσάκις ὁποσάκις	ὁποσάκις
multiplication	ποσαπλάσιος					ὁσαπλάσιος, ὁσαπλασίων
order	πόστος	ποστός					ὁπόστος
† Forms rarely or never used in Classical Attic prose Relative also used in exclamations; either relative or indefinite relative used in indirect questions.