τις,
τι, Indef.
pronoun any one, any thing, enclitic through all cases (for exceptions see below):—but τί; τί; Interrog.
pronoun who? what?,
oxytone in the
monosyllable cases,
paroxytone in the others:—Dialectal forms: [
Refs 5th c.AD+] σις (
si se) [
Refs 4th c.AD+] σις (with? for σ) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; Thess. κις [
Refs],
neuter κι in διεκί, ποκκί (which see);
neuter plural Doric dialect σά,
Boeotian dialect τά,
Aeolic dialect dative τίω, τίοισι (see. infr. B). (I.-[
Refs 5th c.BC+]
q[uglide]i-, cf. Latin
quis,
quid, etc; for σά, τά, see at {ἄσσα}, σά μά; with τέο (see. infr. B) cf. OSlav.
genitive česo)
A) Indef.
pronoun τις, τι,
genitive Ionic dialect τεο [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; more frequently τευ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; Trag. and
Attic dialect του [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; του is rare after [
NT+4th c.BC+], but found in [
Refs 3rd c.BC+], revived by the Atticists, [
Refs 1st c.BC+]; τινος [
Refs 5th c.BC+];
dative Ionic dialect τεῳ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; Trag. and
Attic dialect τῳ (also in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τινι [
Refs 8th c.BC+] in the form οὔ τινι [
Refs 8th c.BC+];
accusative τινα [
Refs 8th c.BC+],
neuter τι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]:
plural τινες [
Refs 8th c.BC+];
Doric dialect τινεν [
Refs 3rd c.BC+];
nominative and
accusative neuter τινα (ὅτινα [
Refs 8th c.BC+], never in Trag, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἄσσα (which see) [
Refs 8th c.BC+], never in Trag. or [
Refs 5th c.BC+];
Attic dialect ἄττα first in [
LXX+5th c.BC+], revived by the Atticists, [
Refs 1st c.BC+];
genitive Ionic dialect τεων [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τινων not in [
Refs 5th c.BC+];
dative τισι, τισιν, first in [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; N.-W.
Doric dialect τινοις [
Refs 3rd c.BC+];
Ionic dialect τεοισι [
Refs 5th c.BC+] (for τεοις and τεον see at {τεός});
accusative τινας [
Refs 8th c.BC+];
neuter τινα (see. above):—
any one, any thing, some one, some thing; and as
adjective any, some, and serving as the Indef.
Article a, an; θεός νύ τίς ἐστι κοτήεις [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
A.II) special usages:
A.II.1)
some one (of many), i.e.
many a one, ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: sometimes with meiosis, implying
all or
men,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; so in Prose, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.2)
any one concerned, every one, εὖ μέν τις δόρυ θηξάσθω [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀλλά τις αὐτὸς ἴτω let
every man come himself,[
Refs]; so in Trag. and
Attic dialect, even with the
imperative, τοῦτό τις. ἴστω S [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοὺς ξυμμάχους αὐτόν τινα κολάζειν that
every man should himself chastise his own allies, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἄμεινόν τινος better than
any others, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]:—this is more fully expressed by adding other pronominal words, τις ἕκαστος [
Refs 8th c.BC+]. In these senses, τις is frequently combined with
plural words, οἱ κακοὶ. οὐκ ἴσασι, πρίν τις ἐκβάλῃ, for πρὶν ἐκβάλωσι, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἷς ἂν ἐπίω, ἧσσόν τις πρόσεισι, for ἧσσον προσίασι, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially after εἴ or ἤν τις, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.3) in reference to a definite person, whom one wishes to avoid naming, οὐκ ἔφασαν ἰέναι, ἐὰν μή τις χρήματα διδῷ (i.e. Cyrus) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so also euphemistic for something bad, ἤν τι ποιῶμεν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence for the
1st pers. or
2nd pers. pronoun, ἅ τιν᾽ οὐ πείσεσθαι ὀΐω [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ποῖ τις τρέψετα; for ποῖ τρέψομα; [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.4) indefinitely, where we say
they, French
on, sometimes with an ironical force, φοβεῖταί τις [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; as
vocative, τὸν Πλοῦτον ἔξω τις κάλει call P. out,
somebody, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.5) τις, τι may be opposed, expressly or by implication, to οὐδείς, οὐδέν, and mean
somebody, something, by meiosis for
some great one, some great thing, ηὔχεις τις εἶναι you boasted that you were
somebody, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; κἠγών τις φαίνομαι ἦμεν after all I too am
somebody, [
NT+3rd c.BC+]; also in
neuter, οἴονταί τι εἶναι ὄντες οὐδενὸς ἄξιοι [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.5.b) τις is sometimes opposed to to another word, ἀελλοπόδων μέν τιν᾽ εὐφραίνοισιν ἵππων τιμαί, τέρπεται δὲ καί τις. [
LXX+5th c.BC+]; ἔστιν οὖν οὐ πᾶν τὸ ταχύ, ἀλλά τι (sic codices BT) αὐτοῦ ἀγαστόν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ μεῖζον τοῦθ᾽ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἑτέρου λέγεται· τινὸς γὰρ λέγεται μεῖζον greater than
something, [
Refs]; πότερον τῷ τυχόντι ἢ τισί; [
Refs]
A.II.6) with (Proper name)s τις commonly signifies
one named so-and-so, ἦν δέ τις ἐν Τρώεσσι Δάρης [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; with a sense of contempt, Θερσίτης τις ἦν there was
one Thersites, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.6.b)
one of the same sort, converting the (Proper name) into an appellative, ἤ τις Ἀπόλλων ἢ Πάν
an Apollo or
a Pan, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; [πόλιες] ταὶ μέλονται πρός τινος ἢ Διὸς ἢ γλαυκᾶς Ἀθάνας Lyric poetry in [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἰσθμόν τιν᾽ [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.7) with
adjectives τις combines to express the idea of a
substantive used as predicate, ὥς τις θαρσαλέος καὶ ἀναιδής ἐσσι προΐκτης
a bold and impudent beggar, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐγώ τις, ὡς ἔοικε, δυσμαθής
a dull
ard, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; φόβου πλέα τις εἶ
a cow
ard, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὡς ταχεῖά τις. χάρις διαρρεῖ in what swift
fashion (={ταχέως πως}), [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; δεινόν τι ποιεύμενος thinking it
a terrible
thing, [
Refs]
A.II.8) with numerals and
adjectives expressing number, size, or the like, εἷς δέ τις ἀρχὸς ἀνὴρ. ἔστω
some one man, [
NT+8th c.BC+]; sometimes the τις softens the definiteness of the numeral, ἑπτά τινες
some seven, seven
or so, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so without an actual numeral, ἡμέρας τινάς
some days, i.e.
several, [
Refs]; στρατῷ τινι
of a certain amount, considerable, [
Refs]; ἐνιαυτόν τινα a year
or so, [
Refs]; so οὐ πολλοί τινες, τινὲς οὐ πολλοί, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀλίγοι τινές or τινὲς ὀλίγοι [
Refs]; οὔ τινα πολλὸν χρόνον no
very long time, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so also ὅσσος τις χρυσός what
a store of gold, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
A.II.9) with Pronominal words, ἀλλά τί μοι τόδε θυμὸς. μερμηρίζει
something, namely this, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; οἷός τις what sort of
a man, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
A.II.10) with the Article,
A.II.10.a) when a noun with the
Article is in
apposition with τις, as ὅταν δ᾽ ὁ κύριος παρῇ τις when the person in authority,
whoever he be, is here, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοὺς αὐτοέντας. τιμωρεῖν τινας (variant τινα) [
Refs]
A.II.10.b) in Philosophic writers, τις is added to the
Article to show that the
Article is used to denote a particular individual who is not specified in the general formula, although he would be in the particular case, ὁ τὶς ἄνθρωπος
the individual man (
whoever he may be), this or that man, opposed to ἄνθρωπος (man in general), ὁ τὶς ἵππος, ἡ τὶς γραμματική, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; τὸ τὶ μέγεθος, opposed to ὅλως τὸ μέγεθος, [
Refs 5th c.BC+], the
Article is used as in [
Refs 8th c.BC+] cc. (which see) ὁ, ἡ, τό [
Refs 5th c.BC+], δεῦρο ὅ τις θεός, ὄφθητί μοι in a general formula of invocation, [
Refs]
A.II.10.c) frequently in opposed clauses, ὁ μέν τις, ὁ δὲ. [
Refs 5th c.BC+], etc: also combined with other alternative words, ὁ μέν τις, ὁ δέ τις, ἕτερος δέ τις. [
Refs]; ὁ μὲν, ἕτερος δέ τις, ὁ δὲ, etc, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: also in
neuter, τὸ μέν τι, τὸ δέ τι. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; in
adverbial sense, τὸ μὲν, τὸ δέ τι.
partly, partly. , [
Refs 2nd c.BC+]; and τι remains unaltered even when the
Article is
plural, τὰ μέν τι μαχόμενοι, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἀναπαυόμενοι [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; also τὸ δέ τι. but
in some measure, without τὸ μέν preceding, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.10.d) later τις is used as in b above but without the
Article, γράψον. ὅτι τι καί τι εἴληφας that you have received
such and
such things, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]; τίς τινι χαίρειν [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
A.II) the
neuter τι is used,
A.II.a) collectively, ἦν τι καὶ ἐν ταῖς Συρακούσαις there was
a party. , [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so perhaps τῶν ἄλλων οὔ πέρ τι πεφυγμένον ἐστ᾽ Ἀφροδίτην, οὔτε θεῶν, οὔτ᾽ ἀνθρώπων no
class, [
Refs] (but
masculine τις in [
Refs]
A.II.b) euphemistic for something bad, see above [
Refs]
A.II.c) joined with Verbs,
somewhat, in any degree, at all, ἦ ῥά τί μοι κεχολώσεαι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐ πάνυ τι, πολύ τι, σχεδόν τι, see at {πάνυ} [
Refs]; also in conjunction with οὐδέν, μηδέν, οὐδέν τι πάντως [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐδέν, μηδέν τι μᾶλλον, [
Refs 5th c.BC+] —also καί τι καὶ. ὑποψίᾳ
in part also from suspicion, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.12) τίς τε frequently in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
A.II.13) ἤ τις ἢ οὐδείς
few or none,
next to none, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἤ τι ἢ οὐδέν
little or nothing, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.II.14) τις is
pleonastic in such phrases as οὐδέν τι or μηδέν τι, see above [
Refs]
A.II.14.b) repeated in successive clauses, ὅσα λέγει τις ἢ πράσσειτις ἢψέγειν ἔχει [
Refs 5th c.BC+] (whereas τις is sometimes omitted in the first clause, οὔτε φωνὴν οὔτε του μορφὴν βροτῶν [
Refs 5th c.BC+], the repetition is pleonastic, as also in [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
A.II.15) τις is sometimes omitted, οὐδέ κεν ἔνθα τεόν γε μένος καὶ χεῖρας ὄνοιτο (i.e. τις) [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ὀνείρῳ οὐ δύναται (i.e. τις) φεύγοντα διώκειν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: τις must often be supplied from what goes before,[
Refs]
A.II.15.b) sometimes also τις is omitted before a
genitive case which must depend upon it, as ἢ [τις] τᾶς ἀσώτου Σισυφιδᾶν γενεᾶς [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἢν γαμῇ ποτ᾽ αὐτὸς ἢ [τις] τῶν ξυγγενῶν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.III) Accentuation and position of τις:
A.III.1) accentuation: τις is normally enclitic, but in certain uses is orthotone, i.e. theoretically oxytone (τίς, τινά, τινές, τινῶν, etc,[
Refs 4th c.AD+] or τις, τινὰ, τινὲς, τινῶν, etc.). According to [
Refs]
A.III.1.a) at the beginning of a sentence, τίς ἔνδον; is
any one within? [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; τί φημ; ={λέγω τι}; am I saying
anything? [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; <τίς ἦλθ;> ἦλθέ τις has
anybody come? [
Refs 2nd c.BC+]; τὶς κάθηται, τὶς περιπατεῖ,
so and so is sitting (walking), [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]; τὶς αἰπόλος καλούμενος Κομάτας [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τι οὖν (τὶς ἂν εἴποι) ταῦτα λέγει; [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
A.III.1.b) when τις is opposed to to another τις or to some other word, τισὶ μὲν συμφέρει, τισὶ δ᾽ οὐ συμφέρει [
Refs 5th c.BC+] for
a certain person, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]. Codices are not consistent; in
signification[
Refs] they make it enclitic; in
signification [
Refs]; sometimes enclitic and orthotone in the same sentence, πάντα δὲ τὰ γιγνόμενα ὑπό τέ τινος γίγνεται καὶ ἔκ τινος καὶ τί [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.III.2) position:
A.III.2.a) τις is rarely first word in the sentence, and rarely follows a pause (see. above [
Refs]; it may stand second word, ἔσκε τις ἐνθάδε μάντις ἀνήρ [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; but in general its position is not far before or after the word to which it belongs in sense, ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε δή τινα μάντιν ἐρείομεν [
Refs]
A.III.2.b) in
Ionic dialect Prose it sometimes stands between its genitive and the Article of that genitive, τῶν τις Περσέων [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; so also in late Prose, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
A.III.2.c) it stands between the
Article and
substantive in
signification[
Refs 5th c.BC+]
A.III.2.d) τίς τι is the correct order, not τί τις, “IG” 12.110.46, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 7.10, 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 4.1.14 (codices dett.), 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 22.22, etc.
A.III.2.e) whereas in _Attic dialect_ the order ἐάν τις is compulsory, in _Doric dialect_ the usual order is αἴ τίς κα, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: later
Doric dialect εἴ τί κα [
Refs]; καἴ τι ἂν (={καὶ εἴ τι ἂν}) [
Refs 1st c.BC+], see below [
Refs 5th c.BC+]:—this
Doric dialect order influenced the Koine, as in the rare εἴ τις ἂν [
Refs 1st c.AD+]