Numerals

The first part of a compound may be a noun-stem, a verbstem, a numeral, a preposition or adverb, or an inseparable prefix.

a. The use of stems in composition is a survival of a period in the history of language in which inflections were not fully developed.

The first part of a compound is often a numeral: δί-πους biped, τρί-πους tripod (having three feet), τέθρ-ιππον four-horse chariot, πέντ-ᾱθλον contest in five events.

Equivalents of the Substantive.—The function of the substantive may be assumed by a pronoun, adjective (in masculine and feminine more frequently with the article), numeral, participle, relative clause (οἳ ἐλήφθησαν τῶν πολεμίων ταὐτὰ ἤγγελλον those of the enemy who were captured made the same report X. A. 1.7.13); by the article with an adverb (οἱ τότε the men of that day), or with the genitive (τὰ τῆς τύχης the incidents of fortune, fortune (1299)); by a prepositional phrase (οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Σωκράτη Socrates and his followers; ἐπὶ μέγα a great part), a preposition with a numeral (ἔφυγον περὶ ὀκτακοσίους about eight hundred took to flight X. H. 6.5.10); by an infinitive with or without the article (1984, 2025); and by any word or phrase viewed merely as a thing (τὸ ῡ̔μεῖς ὅταν λέγω, τὴν πόλιν λέγω when I say You, I mean the State D. 18.88). Cp. 1153 g. (Furthermore, by a clause in a complex sentence, 2189. 1.)

The article may be used with cardinal numerals

a. When the numeral states the definite part of a whole (expressed or understood): ἀπῆσαν τῶν λόχων δώδεκα ὄντων οἱ τρεῖς of the companies, numbering twelve (in all), there were absent three X. H. 7.5.10, εἷς παρὰ τοὺς δέκα one man in (comparison with) ten X. O. 20.16, τῶν πέντε τᾱ̀ς δύο μοίπᾱς two fifths T. 1.10, δύο μέρη two thirds 3. 15. (The genitive is omitted when the denominator exceeds the numerator by one.)

b. When the numeral is approximate: ἔμειναν ἡμέρᾱς ἀμφὶ τᾱ̀ς τριᾱ́κοντα they remained about thirty days X. A. 4.8.22, γεγονότες τὰ πεντήκοντα ἔτη about fifty years of age X. C. 1.2.13.

c. When the number is used abstractly (without reference to any definite object): ὅπως μὴ ἐρεῖς ὅτι ἔστιν τὰ δώδεκα δὶς ἕξ beware of saying 12 is twice 6 P. R. 337b.

N. Ordinals usually omit the article and regularly do so in statements of time in the dative (1540): δευτέρῳ μηνὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐτείχιζον in the second month they fortified the city T. 8.64.

πᾶς (and in the strengthened forms ἅπᾱς, σύμπᾱς all together). a. In the attributive position πᾶς denotes the whole regarded as the sum of all its parts (the sum total, the collective body): οἱ πάντες πολῖται the whole body of citizens, ἡ πᾶσα Σικελίᾱ the whole of Sicily, ἀποκτεῖναι τοὺς ἅπαντας Μυτιληναίους to put to death the entire Mitylenean population T. 3.36.

N.—Hence, with numbers, οἱ πάντες, τὰ σύμπαντα in all: ἑξακόσιοι καὶ χῑ́λιοι οἱ πάντες 1600 in all T. 1.60.

b. In the predicate (and usual) position πᾶς means all: πάντες οἱ πολῖται or (often emphatic) οἱ πολῖται πάντες all the citizens (individually), περὶ πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς ἠσεβήκᾱσι καὶ εἰς ἅπᾱσαν τὴν πόλιν ἡμαρτήκᾱσιν they have committed impiety towards all the gods and have sinned against the whole State L. 14.42.

c. Without the article: πάντες πολῖται all (conceivable) citizens, μισθωσάμενοι πάντας ἀνθρώπους hiring every conceivable person L. 12.60.

N. 1.—In the meaning pure, nothing but, πᾶς is strictly a predicate and has no article: κύκλῳ φρουρούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων πολεμίων hemmed in by a ring of guards all of whom are his enemies ( = πάντες ὑφ᾽ ὧν φρουρεῖται πολέμιοί εἰσι) P. R. 579b. So πᾶσα κακίᾱ utter baseness.

N. 2.—The article is not used with πᾶς if the noun, standing alone, would have no article.

N. 3.—In the singular, πᾶς often means every: σὺν σοὶ πᾶσα ὁδὸς εὔπορος with you every road is easy to travel X. A. 2.5.9, πᾶσα θάλασσα every sea T. 2.41.

With adjectives, adverbs, and numerals, τὶς may strengthen or weaken an assertion, apologize for a comparison, and in general qualify a statement: δεινός τις ἀνήρ a very terrible man P. R. 596c, μύωψ τις a sort of gad-fly P. A. 30e, σχεδόν τι pretty nearly X. O. 4.11, τριᾱ́κοντά τινες about 30 T. 8.73. But in παρεγένοντό τινες δύο νῆες the numeral is appositional to τινές (certain, that is, two ships joined them) T. 8.100.

(IV) With substantive pronouns and numerals.

οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν, οἱ δ᾽ οὔ some of them and not others P. A. 24e, οἳ ὕστερον ἐλήφθησαν τῶν πολεμίων those of the enemy who were taken later X. A. 1.7.13, οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων no one in the world P. S. 220a, τὶ τοῦ τείχους a part of the wall T. 7.4, τὶς θεῶν one of the gods E. Hec. 164 (τὶς θεός a god X. C. 5.2.12), ἓν τῶν πολλῶν one of the many things P. A. 17a; rarely after demonstrative pronouns: τούτοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων to these (of) men T. 1.71.

a. With ὀλίγοι and with numerals ἀπό and ἐξ are rarely added: ἐκ τριῶν ἕν one of three S. Tr. 734. ἐξ with superlatives is also rare. See also 1688. 1 c.

With numerals and words indicating degree ὡς means about, nearly, not far from; as ὁπλῑ́τᾱς ἔχων ὡς πεντακοσίους having about five hundred hoplites X. A. 1.2.3, ὡς ἐπὶ πολύ for the most part P. R. 377b (lit. about over the great(er) part).