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μάτην , Dor. μάτα_ν [μα^], Adv.
A.in vain, h.Cer.308, Pi.O.1.83, etc.; “μὴ πόνει μ.” A.Pr.44; βλέποντες ἔβλεπον μ. ib.447; μ. ἐρεῖν ib.1007; with a Noun, τὸ μ. ἄχθος the fruitless burden, Id.Ag.165 (lyr.); Διὸς μ. ἄκοιτις his bedfellow to no good end, S.Tr.1149: as predicate, “μ. ὁ μόχθος” A.Ch.521.
2. at random, without reason, “οὔ σε μ. τιμῶσι” Thgn.523; “ὅρα μὴ μ. κόμπος ὁ λόγος ᾖ” Hdt.7.103, cf. E.Supp. 127; “οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον . . τοὺς κακοὺς μ. χρηστοὺς νομίζειν” S.OT609; “ἵνα μὴ μ. θαρρήσῃς” Pl.Tht.189d; ὁ νοσῶν μ., i.e. he that is mad, S.Aj.635 (lyr.), cf. Ar.Pax 95 (anap.).
3. idly, falsely, “λέγοντες εἴτ᾽ ἀληθές, εἴτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ οὖν μ.” S.Ph.345; “λόγῳ μάτην θνῄσκοντες” Id.El.63, cf. 1298; μ. βέβακεν, of a dream, A.Ag.423 (lyr.).—Originally acc. of μάτη, and we find εἰς μάτην in Luc.Trag.28,241, Aristid.Or.33(51).3; “ἐπὶ μ.” POxy.530.8 (ii A.D.).
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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