Quick Definition
ποτέ Disj.prt. at one time or other
Strong's Definition
from the base of 4225 and 5037; indefinite adverb, at some time, ever
KJV Usage: afore-(any, some-)time(-s), at length (the last), (+ n- )ever, in the old time, in time past, once, when
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
advb. | ποῦ
67.9 · Time · A Point of Time without Reference to Other Points of Time: Time, Occasion, Ever, Often
ever, at any time, at some time an indefinite point of time or occasion In JHN 9:13 ποτέ may be rendered as ‘had been,’ but the meaning is simply indefinite reference to time.
JHN 9:13 · ROM 1:10 · ROM 7:9 · ROM 11:30 · 1CO 9:7 · GAL 1:13 · GAL 1:23 · GAL 1:23 · GAL 2:6 · EPH 5:8 · EPH 5:29 · PHP 4:10 · COL 1:21 · COL 3:7 · 1TH 2:5 · TIT 3:3 · PHM 1:11 · HEB 1:5 · HEB 1:13 · 1PE 2:10 · 2PE 1:10 · 2PE 1:21
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ποτέ, an enclitic particle, fr. Hom. down; 1. once, i. e. at some time or other, formerly, aforetime ; a. of the Past: Jn. ix. 13; Ro. vii. 9; xi. 30; Gal. i. 13, 23 [ef. W. § 45, 7]; Eph. ii. 2 sq. 11,13; v. 8; Col. i. 21; iii. 7; 1 Th. ii. 5; Tit. iii. 3; Philem. 11; 1 Pet. ii. 10; iii. 5, 20; ἤδη ποτέ, now at length, Phil. iv. 10. b. of the Future: Lk. xxii. 32; ἤδη ποτέ, now at length, Ro. i. 10. 2. ever: after a negative, οὐδείς ποτε, Eph. v. 29 [B. 202 (175)]; ov... ποτέ, 2 Pet. i. 21; μή more (see μήποτε); after ov μή with the aor. subjunc. 2 Pet. i. 10; ina question, τίς ποτε, 1 Co. ix. 7; Heb.i. 5, 13; ὁποῖοί ποτε, whatsoever, Gal. ii. 6 [but some would render ποτέ here formerly, once; cf. Bp. Lghtft. ad loc. ].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ποτε pote 29x
enclitic particle, once, some time or other, either past or future; formerly, Jn. 9:13; at length, Lk. 22:32; at any time, ever, Eph. 5:29; Heb. 2:1; intensive after interrogatives, ever, 1 Cor. 9:7; Heb. 1:5
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ποτέ, enclitic particle, once, formerly, sometime: of the past, Jo 9:13, Ro 7:9 11:30, Ga 1:13, 23 2:6 (Lft., in l.), Eph 2:2, 3, 11, 13 5:8, Col 1:21 3:7, I Th 2:5, Tit 3:3, Phm 11, I Pe 2:10 3:5, 20; ἤδη ποτέ, now at length, Phl 4:10; of the fut., Lk 22:32; εἴ πως ἤδη ποτέ, if sometime soon at length, Ro 1:10.
ever: after a neg., Eph 5:29, II Pe 1:10, 21; in a question, τίς π., I Co 9:7, He 1:5, 13.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ποτέ, an indefinite temporal particle = ‘fat any time, at some time,” ‘‘once,” ‘‘formerly”’: cf. PSI V. 484? (B.c. 258-7) ὥς ποτε αὐτῶι ἐδόκει, P Oxy IV. 7457 (c. A.D. 1) οὐκ οἶδας yap πῶς μοι ἐχρήσατο ἐν ᾿Οξυρύγχοις οὐχ ὡς λύσα v>TL ἀλλ᾽ ὥς τινί ποτε ἀποστερητῆι μὴ ἀποδεδωκότι, “*you don’t know how he treated me at Oxyrhynchus (?), not like a man who had paid but like a defrauder and a debtor” (Edd.), P Fay 11076 (A.D. 94) “Hpwva τόν ποτε ἡγούμί(ενον), ‘ Heron the former president,” P Ryl IL. 243° (ii/A.D.) ὅσα ποτὲ οὖν ἐὰν ἀναίναγλώσῃς ls τὴν τοῦ κλήρου κατεργασίαν, ἡμεῖν ἐνλόγησον ἐπὶ λόγου. ““υυΐ down to our account everything you expend on the cultivation of the > ες μοί ποτε περὶ τούτου, ‘“‘you once had a conversation with me on this subject” (Edd.), P Par 57414 (iii/a.p.) (= Selections, p. 113) ἐξορκίζω σε, δαῖμον, ὅστις ποτ᾽ οὖν εἶ, and P Oxy XIV. τόϑ8ο1" (iii/iv a.p.) ὑπονοοῦμαι ὅτι πάντως πάλιν τί ποτε ἔχει πρὸς σέ, “I suspect that he must have some further claim against you ”’ (Edd.). In illustration of Rev 2® mention is sometimes made οἱ C/G 11. 3148 (time of Hadrian) οἱ ποτὲ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι, ‘‘ the quondam Jews,” as if these were renegade Jews who had forsworn their faith, but Ramsay (Lef¢fers, p. 272), following Mommsen, is of opinion that they were ‘‘quondam”’’ in the sense that they were ‘“‘no longer recognised as a separate nation by the Roman law (as they had been before A.D. 70).” , πότερον For ἤδη ποτέ, 2am ἐαγιαΐξνηι, as in Rom 119, cf. the ostracon letter published by Deissmann ZAZ, p. 186—® καὶ ἤδη ποτὲ δὸς TH ἐμῆ παιδίσκη τὰς τοῦ (πυροῦ) ¥ € ‘and now at length give to my maid the 3} artabae of wheat.” See further s.v. μήποτε.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ποτέ (pote) — once/when. Included with: πότε, Ionic dialect κότε, Doric dialect πόκα [Refs 3rd c.BC+]:—interrogative Particle used in direct and indirect questions, when? at what time? [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πότ᾽ ἆρ; ={πότε} with ἆρα [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. indefinite ποτε (Attic dialect, also [Refs 4th c.BC+], Ionic dialect κοτε, Doric dialect ποκα, Aeolic dialect ποτα [Refs 7th c.BC+]
II.1. at some time or other, at some time, τάχ᾽ ἄν ποτε θυμὸν ὀλέσσῃ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; π. καὶ ἄλλοτε at certain other times, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.2. in hypothetical clauses, questions, etc., at any time, ever, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; compare εἴ ποτε: also with relatives (compare δήποτε), Ζεὺς ὅστις ποτ᾽ ἐστίν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὅποι ποτέ, ὅπου π., etc., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; after πω, πη, see at {πώποτε, πήποκα}: very frequently with negatives, οὔτε ποτ᾽.. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; compare οὔποτε, μήποτε, οὐδέποτε, μηδέποτε, οὐπώποτε, μηπώποτε.
II.3. in correlative clauses it stands first, with accent, ποτὲ μὲν.., ποτὲ δὲ.. at one time.., at another.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ποτὲ δὲ.., without any preceding Part., [Refs 4th c.BC+]
III. of some unknown point of time,
III.1. in reference to the past, once, ὅν ποτ᾽ Ἀθήνη θρέψε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; especially in telling a story, once upon a time, οὕτω ποτ᾽ ἦν μῦς καὶ γαλῆ [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with historic present, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with a substantive, εἰς τήν π. φιλίαν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.1. b at length, μόγις δή κοτε εἶπε [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2. in reference to the future, at some time, καί π. τοι.. παρέσσεται.. δῶρα [Refs 8th c.BC+]: also to denote earnest expectation, at length, εὔχεταί π. οἶκον ἰδεῖν [Refs 5th c.BC+]dimitte tandem aliquando, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀψέ π. [Refs 4th c.AD+]
III.3. with intensive force, in questions, τίς ποτ; who in the world? τίνες ποτ᾽ ἐστ; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί ποτ᾽ ἐστὶ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος what it can possibly be, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to strengthen ἀεί, ἀεί ποτε from all time, always in the past, ἀεί ποτε ζῇ ταῦτα [Refs 5th c.BC+]