A.“βραχέοις” JHS33.317 (Thess.): Comp. βραχύτερος, βραχίων (cf. βράσσων): Sup. βραχύτατος, βράχιστος:—short,
1. of Space and Time, β. οἶμος, ὁδός, Pi.P.4.248, Pl.Lg.718e, etc.; [αἰών] prob. in B.3.74; “βίος” Hdt. 7.46; “καιρός” Call.Epigr.9; “χρόνος” A.Pr.939, Pers.713, etc.; μῦθος, λόγος, Id.Pr.505, v.l. in Pers.713; ἐν βραχεῖ (Ion. βραχέϊ) in a short time, Hdt.5.24, Pl.Smp.217a codd.; “διὰ βραχέος” Th.2.83; “μακρὰν συνήθειαν βραχεῖ λῦσαι χρόνῳ” Men.726; βραχὺ τῃδὶ μεταστῶμεν for a moment, Id.Georg.32; of distance, β. ἀπόδοσις short return in ballplay, Antiph.234.6; “ἐπὶ βραχὺ ἐξικνεῖσθαι” X.An.3.3.17; πρὸ βραχέος lamb.VP25.112: Comp., “ἡ φάλαγξ -υτέρα ἐγένετο ἀναδιπλουμένη” X. Cyr.7.5.5; “τάξιν -υτέραν ἢ πρόσθεν, βαθυτέραν δὲ ποιήσαντες” Plb.1.33.10; “βραχύτερα τοξεύειν” X.An.3.3.7. Adv. βραχέως, [πολέμους] ἐπ᾽ ἀλλήλους ἐπιφέρειν scantily, seldom, Th.1.141.
2. of Size, short, small, “μορφάν β.” Pi.I.4(3).53; βραχὺς ἐξικέσθαι θεῶν ἕδραν too puny to reach . . , ib.7(6).44; “β. τεῦχος” S.El.1113, cf. 757; β. τεῖχος a low wall, Th.7.29; βραχύ μοι στόμα πάντ᾽ ἀναγήσασθαι my mouth is too small to . . , Pi.N.10.19; κατὰ β. προϊών little by little, Th.1.64, cf. Pl. Sph.241c; παρὰ βραχύ scarcely, hardly, “φυγεῖν” Alciphr.3.5; “βραχύ τι λωφᾶν ἀπὸ νόσου καὶ πολέμου” Th.6.12; ἁλὸς βραχύ a small quantity of salt, Bilabel Ὀψαρτ.p.11.
3. of Number, few, ἐν βραχεῖ in few words, Pi.P.1.82, S.El.673; “ἐν βραχίστοις” Pi.I.6(5).59; “ἐν βραχυτέροις” Pl.Grg.449c; so διὰ βραχέων in few words, Id.Prt.336a; “ὡς ἂν δύνωμαι διὰ βραχυτάτων” D.27.3, Lys.16.9, cf. Pl.Grg.449c; “ὡς ἐν βραχυτάτοις” Antipho 1.18. Adv. βραχέως, ἀπολογεῖσθαι briefly, in few words, X.HG1.7.5.
4. of Value or Importance, of persons, humble, insignificant, S.OC880; “τὸν μὲν ἀφ᾽ ὑψηλῶν βραχὺν ᾤκισε” E. Heracl.613; “β. τὴν διάνοιαν” J.AJ12.4.1; of things, petty, trifling, “ἀρχὴ β. ἐλπίδος” S.OT121; “χάρις” Id.Tr.1217; “πρόφασις” E.IA1180; β. τις ἀσάφεια a slight obscurity, Gal.18(1).304; λυπεῖν τινὰ βραχύ, opp. μέγ᾽ εὑρεῖν κέρδος, S.El.1304; “οὐ περὶ βραχέων βουλεύεσθαι” Th. 1.78, cf. 140; “β. καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιον” Id.8.76; “β. κέρδους ἕνεκα” Lys.7.17; “οὐσία” Is.10.25: neut. as Adv., βραχὺ φροντίζειν τινός think lightly of, D.17.4.
5. short, of vowels or syllables, Arist.Cat.4b34, Rh. 1409a18, Po.1458a15, Heph.1.1, D.T.631, etc.; ἡ β. προσῳδία the sign ^, S.E.M.1.113. (Cf. Avest. m[schwa]r[schwa]zu- 'short', Goth. gamaurgjan 'shorten', Lat. brevis.)