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μάλα [μα^λα^; but Hom. sts. uses the ult. long before λ, Il.3.214, 4.379; before μ, 10.172], Adv.
A.very, exceedingly, prefixed or subjoined to Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs:
1. strengthening the word with which it stands,
a. with Adjs., in Hom. most freq., μάλα πολλά very many, Od.1.1; μ. πᾶσα, μ. πάντα, every one, all together, Il.13.741, Od.2.306, etc.; μάλ᾽ ἀσκηθής all unhurt, 5.26; ἀβληχρὸς μ. τοῖος quite gentle, 11.135; σαρδάνιον μ. τοῖον a quite sardonic smile, 20.302; “μάλα μυρίοι15.556, 16.121, etc.; ἐμέο πρότερος μ. actually before me, Il.10.124; later, μ. φιλόσοφοι, πλάτανος μάλ᾽ ἀμφιλαφής, etc., Pl.Prm.126b, Phdr.230b, etc.: strengthd., μ. δὴ πρεσβύτης very old, X.Cyr.8.7.1; “μ. γέ τινες ὀλίγοιPl.R.531e.
2. strengthening an assertion, νῦν σε μ. χρὴ αἰχμητὴν ἔμεναι, i.e. now or never, Il.16.492; τῷ κε μάλ᾽ κεν μεῖνε . . then doubtless he would have stayed, Od.4.733; σοὶ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἕψομ᾽ ἐγώ yes indeed . . , Il.10.108; ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ ὤφελλες why plainly . . , Od.4.472: freq. with another word, as μ. δή . . now in very truth, Il.5.422, etc.; “ δή που μ.21.583; freq. μ. (without δή) 3.204, etc.
3. in Hom. sts. after εἰ, as εἰ μ. μιν χόλος ἵκοι if wrath come on him ever so much, Il.17.399, cf. Od.5.485, al.; “καὶ εἰ μ. τις πολεμίζοιIl.9.318; also μ. περ c. part., μ. περ μεμαώς though desiring never so much, 13.317, cf. 14.58, 17.710, al.; “καὶ μ. περ1.217, cf. 17.571; “καὶ εὐρέα περ μάλ᾽ ἐόνταOd.18.385.
4. in Att. freq. in answers, yes, certainly, “μ. γεPl.R.555d, 564e, etc.; “μ. τοιX.Mem.1.2.46; “καὶ μ.Pl.Phdr.258c; “καὶ μ. γεId.Tht.148c, etc.; καὶ μ. δή ib.177a; καὶ μ. ἐπαύσατο certainly it stopped, Id.Smp.189a, etc.
II. Comp. μᾶλλον [α_ by nature, Hdn.Gr.2.932], Ion. μάλιον [α^] only in Tyrt.12.6, cf. Choerob.in An.Ox.2.240; late Dor. μαλλότερον Pempel. ap. Stob.4.25.52:—more, rather, Il.5.231, Od.1.351, al.: mostly folld. by , but in Prose also by a gen., μ. τοῦ ξυμφέροντος more than is expedient, Antipho 5.1; “μ. τοῦ δέοντοςPl.Grg.487b, X.Mem.4.3.8 (sts. expressed by μᾶλλον alone, Pl. Phd.63d); “οὐπώποτ᾽ ἔργου μ. εἱλόμην λόγουςE.Fr.394; παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Pl.Lg.715d (v. infr. 8); in Id.Ap.36d, οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ ὅτι μ. πρέπει οὕτως, ὡς . . , ὡς is prob. = (v. ὡς): denoting a constant increase, more and more, sts. doubled, “μ. μ.E.IT1406, Ar.Ra.1001 (lyr.), Alex.29: in positive sense, exceedingly, “κηρόθι μ.Il.9.300, Od.15.370, al.:—Usage:
2. sts. with a second Comp., “ῥηΐτεροι μ.Il.24.243, cf. Hdt.1.32, A.Th.673, Supp.279, S.Ant.1210, E.El.222, Pl. Phd.79e, Is.4.14 (s.v.l.), Arist.Top.116b24.
3. μᾶλλον δέ much more . . , or rather . . , to correct a statement already made, “ δεσπότης πέπραγεν εὐτυχέστατα, μ. δ᾽ Πλοῦτος αὐτόςAr.Pl.634; “πολλοί, μ. δὲ πάντεςD.18.65, cf. Pl.Smp.173e; so “ μ.Corn.ND20, Simp.in Ph.25.16; οὐχὶ μ. . . not so, but rather so . . , Th.2.87.
4. μ. δὲ καὶ ἡσυχαίτερα more or less violent, Id.3.82.
5. οὐδὲν μ. none the more, ib.79; “οὐδέν τι μ.Pl.Phd.87d; μηδέν τι μ. . . S.Aj.280.
6. μ. . . folld. by οὐ in comparisons, where preference implies rejection or denial, “πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον οὐ τοὺς αἰτίουςTh.3.36: preceded by another neg., Hdt.4.118, 5.94, 7.16. γ́, etc.: by an interrog. which conveys a neg. force, τίδεῖ . . μᾶλλον, οὐ . . ; X.HG6.3.15.
7. τὸ μ. καὶ ἧττον, a form of argument, a fortiori, Arist.Rh.1397b12.
III. Sup. μάλιστα most of all, above all, Hom., etc.; “πᾶσι, μάλιστα δ᾽ ἐμοίOd.21.353; μ. μὲν . . , ἔπειτα or ἔπειτα δέ . . , first and above all . . , next . . , S.OT647, cf. Ph.1285; μ. μὲν . . , δεύτερον δὲ . . Is.2.20; μ. μὲν . . , εἰ δὲ μὴ . . Hdt.8.22, Th.1.40, Pl.R.590d, D.20.25, etc.; “τοῦτο δ᾽ ἐστὶ μ. μὲν θάνατος, εἰ δὲ μή, πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἀφελέσθαιId.21.152; μάλιστα μὲν . . , μᾶλλον μέντοι . . Pl.Smp.180b; μάλιστα . . , εἰ μὴ δ᾽ . . S.Ph.617; δοκέων μιν μ. ταύτης ἂν πείθεσθαι certainly, Hdt.3.53; τί μ.; what precisely? Pl.Grg.448d, cf. Men.80b, Smp.218c: c. gen. partit., “μ. πάντωνHdt.2.37, Pl.Prt.327a, cf. Th. 4.86; τὸ μ. πάντων the supreme reality, Plot.5.5.11; τὸ μ. εἶναι the highest degree of being, Id.6.2.7.
2. with the Art., ἐς τὰ μ. in the highest degree, Hdt.1.20, 2.76, Th.6.104, 8.6, D.21.212: without “ἐς, φίλοι τὰ μ.Hdt.2.147, cf.Th. 1.92, D.21.62; “τά γε μ.Pl.Lg.794d; εἰ τὰ μ. ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς if they were ever so true, D.18.95; εἰ τὰ μ. μὴ τινές, ἀλλὰ πάντες . . if (to put an extreme case) not some, but all . . , Id.20.2; “εἰ . . δοκοίη τὰ μ.Id.18.21; ἀνὴρ δόκιμος ὁμοῖα τῷ μ. as famous as he that is most [famous], Hdt.7.118, cf. 3.8; “τοῖς μάλισθ᾽ ὁμοίωςD.Ep.2.24.
5. with numerals, in round numbers, about, Th.3.29, 92, X.HG5.2.31, etc.; πεντήκοντα μάλιστα is 49 in Th.1.118; “ἑκατοστὸς μ.99th, Id.8.68; ἐς μέσον μάλιστά κῃ about the middle, Hdt. 1.191, cf. 76; “ἥμισυ μ.Th.1.93; μ. σφᾶς μεσοῦν δειπνοῦντας that they were about the middle of supper, Pl.Smp.175c; “κου μ.Hdt.7.22; “μ. πωςPlb.2.41.13.
6. in answers, most certainly, Ar.Pl.827, etc.; “μ. γεS.OT994, Ar.Nu.253; “μ. πάντωνId.Av.1531; “πάντων μ.Pl.Grg.453d; v. supr.1.4. (Orig. perh. fiercely, cf. μαλερός.)
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