οὗ

See also: ου, -ου, -ού, οὐ, οὔ, οὖ, Ȣ, ᴕ, Appendix:Variations of "ou", and Appendix:Variations of "oy"

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /hûː/ → /u/ → /u/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /hûː/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /(h)u/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /u/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /u/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /u/

Etymology 1

PIE word
*swé

This pronominal is the singular masculine genitive of the demonstrative pronoun ὅς (hós, “this (man)”). Accusative declension form ἕ (hé) apparently from Proto-Hellenic *hwe = ϝέ, from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“reflexive pronoun”).

Alternative forms

• οὑ (hou) — enclitic
• εἷο (heîo), ἕο (héo), εὗ (heû), ἕθεν (héthen) — Epic
• ἑο (heo), ἑθεν (hethen) — Epic, enclitic
• εὑ (heu) — Epic, Ionic, enclitic, synaeresis
• ἑοῦς (heoûs), ἑοῦ (heoû), ϝέος (wéos), ἕθεν (héthen) — Doric
• ϝέθεν (wéthen) — Aeolic

Pronoun

οὗ • (hoû)

1. "of him/her/it", "than him/her/it", etc.
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 15.165:

     ... ἐπεί ἑό [or εὑ] φημι βίῃ πολὺ φέρτερος εἶναι
     καὶ γενεῇ πρότερος

     ... epeí heó [or heu] phēmi bíēi polù phérteros eînai
     kaì geneêi próteros

     For I avow to be far better than him in might,
     and the elder in birth.

Usage notes

For dual and plural forms, see σφωέ (sphōé) and σφεῖς (spheîs).

Inflection

Irregular declension of —; οὗ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Plural
Nominative	—	σφεῖς spheîs
Genitive	οὗ / οὑ† hoû / hou†	σφῶν sphôn
Dative	οἷ / οἱ† hoî / hoi†	σφῐ́σῐ / σφῐ́σῐν sphĭ́sĭ(n)
Accusative	ἕ / ἑ† hé / he†	σφᾶς sphâs
Vocative	—	σφεῖς spheîs
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension. †enclitic

Irregular declension of —; εἷο (Epic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	—
Genitive	εἷο / ἕο / ἑο† / εὗ / εὑ† / ἕθεν / ἑθεν† / ἑοῖο heîo / héo / heo† / heû / heu† / héthen / hethen† / heoîo
Dative	ἑοῖ / οἷ / οἱ† heoî / hoî / hoi†
Accusative	ἑέ / ἕ / ἑ† / μῐν† / σφε† heé / hé / he† / mĭn† / sphe†
Vocative	—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution. †enclitic ἑοῖο (heoîo) is a late form.

Irregular declension of —; εὑ† (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	—
Genitive	εὑ† heu†
Dative	οἱ† hoi†
Accusative	ἑ† / μῐν† he† / mĭn†
Vocative	—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution. †enclitic

Irregular declension of —; ἑοῦς (Doric)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	—
Genitive	ἑοῦς / ἑοῦ / ϝέος / ἕθεν heoûs / heoû / wéos / héthen
Dative	οἷ / οἱ† / ϝῐ́ν / ϝοι† hoî / hoi† / wĭ́n / woi†
Accusative	ἕ / ϝέ / νῐ́ν hé / wé / nĭ́n
Vocative	—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution. †enclitic

Irregular declension of —; ϝέθεν (Aeolic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	—
Genitive	ϝέθεν wéthen
Dative	ϝοι† woi†
Accusative	ϝέ wé
Vocative	—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution. †enclitic ἑοῦς (heoûs) and ἑΐν (heḯn) are the Boeotian genitive and dative forms.

Derived terms

• ἑαυτοῦ (heautoû), ἑωυτοῦ (heōutoû)

Related terms

• ὅς (hós), ἑός (heós, “third singular possessive adjective”)

Descendants

• Tsakonian: νι (ni), σι (si)

See also

• ἐγώ (egṓ)
• σύ (sú)

References

• “οὗ, οἷ, ἕ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920) “Part II: Inflection”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 325
• Carl Darling Buck, Introduction to the Study of the Greek Dialects, section 118
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 365

Etymology 2

See ὅς (hós).

Pronoun

οὗ • (hoû)

1. masculine genitive singular of ὅς (hós)
2. neuter genitive singular of ὅς (hós)

Adverb

οὗ • (hoû) (relative adverb)

1. where, when
   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 486:

     οὗ Σπερχειὸς ἄρδει πεδίον εὐμενεῖ ποτῷ

     hoû Sperkheiòs árdei pedíon eumeneî potôi

     where the Sphercheus waters the plain with kindly stream.

   • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 486:

     νῦν γὰρ δὴ ἐξ οὗ ἐγένοντο Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς κίνδυνον ἥκουσι

     nûn gàr dḕ ex hoû egénonto Athēnaîoi es kíndunon hḗkousi

     now indeed since when the athenians were born they get to an enormous danger

See also

Ancient Greek correlatives ^(edit)

type	interrogative	indefinite	demonstrative			relative	indefinite relative	identity	other
			(medial)	proximal	distal
basic	τίς	τις, ἔνιοι	†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, †ποθι	ἐνταῦθα	ἐνθάδε	ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα, †ἐκεῖθι	οὗ, ἔνθα, †ὅθι	ὅπου, †ὁπόθι	αὐτόθι, ὁμοῦ	ἄλλοθι
source	πόθεν	ποθεν, ἁμόθεν	†τόθεν, ἔνθεν, ἐντεῦθεν	ἐνθένδε	ἐκεῖθεν	ὅθεν	ὁπόθεν	†ὁμόθεν	ἄλλοθεν
destination	ποῖ, †πόσε	ποι	ἔνθα, ἐνταῦθα	ἐνθάδε, δεῦρο	ἐκεῖσε	οἷ	ὅποι, †ὁπόσε	αὐτόσε, ὁμόσε	ἄλλοσε
time	πότε, πῆμος	ποτέ, ποτε, τοτέ, ἐνίοτε	τότε, τῆμος	τημόσδε		ὅτε, ἦμος	ὁπότε, †ὁππῆμος	ἅμα	ἄλλοτε
exact time	πηνίκα		†τηνίκα, τηνικαῦτα	τηνικάδε		ἡνίκα	ὁπηνίκα	αὐτίκα
duration of time			τέως			ἕως
size, age	πηλίκος	πηλίκος	†τηλίκος, τηλικοῦτος	τηλικόσδε		ἡλίκος	ὁπηλίκος	ὁμῆλιξ
repetition	ποσάκις, ποσίνδα	ποσάκις	τουτάκις, τοσάκις			†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.

Etymology 3

From ὅς (hós, “his”).

Adjective

οὗ • (hoû)

1. masculine genitive singular of ὅς (hós)
2. neuter genitive singular of ὅς (hós)

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

οὗ • (hoû)

1. second-person singular aorist middle imperative of ἵημι (híēmi)

References

• “οὗ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “οὗ”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “οὗ”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• οὗ in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• G3757 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • where idem, page 975.