ἀπορία, Ion. -ιη, ἡ, (ἄπορος)
being ἄπορος: hence,
I of places, difficulty of passing, X. An. 5.6.10.
II of things,
1. difficulty, straits, in sg. and pl., ἐς ἀπορίην πολλὴν ἀπιγμένος, ἀπειλημένος, Hdt. 1.79, 2.141; ἐν ἀπορίῃ or ἐν ἀποίῃσι ἔχεσθαι, Id. 9.98, 4.131, cf. Antipho 5.66; ἀπορίῃσιν ἐνείχετο Hdt. 1.190; ἀπορίην ἐρωτηθέντι παρασχεῖν Hp. VM 13, cf. Lys. 19.1; ἀπορια τελέθει, c. inf., Pi. N. 7.105, cf. Pl. Lg. 788c; εἰς φρέατα καὶ πᾶσαν ἀ. ἐμπίπτων Id. Tht. 174c: c. gen. rei, ἀ. τοῦ μὴ γινώσκειν Hp. Morb.Sacr. 1; ἀ. τοῦ μὴ ἡσυχάζειν impossibility of keeping quiet, Th. 2.49; ἀ. τῆς προσορμίσεως Id. 4.10; ἀ. τοῦ ἀνακαθαίρεσθαι Pl. Lg. 678d.
2. not providing a thing, Id. Men. 78e.
III of persons,
1. difficulty of dealing with or getting at, τῶν Σκυθέων Hdt. 4.83; τοῦ ἀποκτείναντος Antipho 2.4.2.
2. being at a loss, embarrassment, perplexity, ἀ. τοῦ δυστυχεῖν E. Ion 971, cf. Th. 7.44, 75, etc.; ἀ. ἐν τῷ λόγῷ συμβᾶσα Aeschin. 2.41; distress, discomfort, in illness, Hp. Epid. 5.42, Aret. SA 2.5: hence metaph., ὠδίνουσι καὶ ἀπορίας ἐμπίμπλανται Pl. Tht. 151a.
3. ἀ. τινός lack of a person or thing, σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν Ar. Ra. 806; τροφῆς, χρημάτων, etc., Th. 1.11, 7.48; ἀπώλλυντο.. ἀπορίᾳ τοῦ θεραπεύοντος for want of one to attend to them, Id. 2.51; ἀ. λόγων Pl. Ap. 38d; ἀ. πλοίων shortage of ships, CPHerm. 6.10: abs., need, poverty, Th. 1.123; ἀ. καὶ πενία And. 1.144; opp. εὐπορία, Arist. Pol. 1279b27: in pl., D. 19.146. in Dialectic, question for discussion, difficulty, puzzle, ἀπορίᾳ σχόμενος Pl. Prt. 321c; ἀ. ἣν ἀπορεῖς ib. 324d; ἡ ἀ. ἰσότης ἐναντίων λογισμῶν Arist. Top. 145b1, al.; ἔχει ἀπορίαν περί τινος Id. Pol. 1285b28; αἱ μὲν οὖν ἀ. τοιαῦταί τινες συμβαίνουσιν Id. EN 1146b6; οὐδεμίαν ποιήσει ἀ. Id. Metaph. 1085a27; ἀ. λύειν, διαλύειν, Id. MM 1201b1, Metaph. 1062b31; ἀπορίᾳ ἀπορίαν λύειν D.S. 1.37.