A.long ago, “π. οὔ τι νέον γε” Il.9.527; “π. κοὐ νεωστί” S. El.1049; “π. πολλὰ ἤδη ἔτη” Pl.Ap.18b; π. ποτέ once upon a time, Ar. Pl.1002, Pl.Criti.110a: freq. with pres. of an act lasting to the pres., ὁρῶ . . π. I have long seen, S.Aj.5; ἰχνεύω π. ib.20, cf. Ph.589, Pl. Men.91a, Ar.Pl.257, etc.; but, π. ποτ᾽ ὄντες ye who were long ago, Id.V.1060: also with pf., “τέθνηχ᾽ ὑμῖν π.” S.Ph.1030, cf. A.Pr.998, Ar.Nu.556: with impf. of an act lasting to a past time, ἔχεν π. had long been holding it, Il.23.871, cf. Eup.11; “ἔχεις π. ὧν ἐπεθύμεις” Theoc.10.17: with Art., “τὸ π.” Hdt.1.5, 7.74,95,142, Th.1.5, etc.; “ἀπὸ π.” BGU1036.24 (ii A. D.).
2. like an Adj. with Art. and Noun, οἱ π. φῶτες men of old, Pi.I.2.1; “Κάδμου τοῦ π. νέα τροφή” S.OT1; τοῦ πρόσθε Κάδμου τοῦ π. τ᾽ Ἀγήνορος ib.268; τὰ καινὰ τοῖς π. τεκμαίρεται ib.916, cf. Tr.1165, El.1490, etc.; “τὰ π.” D.19.276 (nisi leg. παλαί᾽）; οἱ π. the ancients, opp. οἱ νῦν, Arist.Metaph.1069a29.
II. before, opp. the present, sts. of time just past, “ἠμὲν π. ἠδ᾽ ἔτι καὶ νῦν” Il.9.105, cf. S.Ant.181: hence, not long ago, just now, like ἄρτι, οἱ π. λόγοι A.Pr.845; ὁ π. λόγος the reason just given, Arist.Pol.1282a15, cf. 1282b7; “π. σοὶ ἔλεγον” X.Oec.19.17, cf. 18.10; but opp. ἄρτι, Pl. Tht.142a.
