A.in haste, quick, “ς. τοὺς πόδας” Poll. 1.197, 3.149; “τὸ ς. τῆς πορείας” Polyaen.6.24:—but in ordinary use denoting energy or earnestness:
I. of persons, earnest, serious, X.Cyr.2.2.16 (Sup.), cf. Smp.8.3; active, zealous, in canvassing, Plu. Aem.1.
2. good, excellent in their several kinds, Hdt.8.69; opp. φαῦλος, Pl.Lg.757a, 814e, Arist.Po.1448a2; “ἀκροαταὶ-ότεροι” Isoc.12.271; ς. αὐλητής, opp. ἄνθρωπος μοχθηρός, Antisth. ap. Plu.Per.1; “κιθαριστής” Arist.EN1098a9; “σκυτεύς” Id.EE1219a22; “ἀνδράποδον” D.9.31; “ς. τὴν τέχνην” X.Mem.4.2.2; “περί τι” Pl.Lg.817a.
3. in moral sense, good, opp. πονηρός, X.HG2.3.19; opp. φαῦλος, Id.Cyr.2.2.24, Zeno Stoic.1.52; “οἱ ς. Λακεδαιμονίων” X.HG3.1.9; “ς. τὰ ἤθη” Isoc.1.4; “τῷ ἀρετὴν ἔχειν ς. λέγεται” Arist.Cat.10b8, cf. EN1166a13, Top.131b2; σπουδαῖον = ἀγαθον, Id.EN1136b8, 1137b4: generally, of all virtuous objects or qualities, Id.Metaph.1021b24, 1051b24, EN 1151a27, al.
II. of things, worth serious attention, weighty, χρῆμα, πρῆγμα, Thgn.65,70,116, etc.; τὰ -έστερα (-έστατα)“ τῶν πρηγμάτων” Hdt.1.8, 133 (v.l. -ότερα, -ότατα), cf. Iisoc.2.50; “ταῦθ᾽ ὑμῖν σπουδαιότατ᾽ ἐστίν” D.24.4; opp. γελοῖος, Ar.Ra.392 (lyr.); τί γελᾷς ἐπὶ σπουδαίοις πράγμασιν; Pl.Euthd.300e.
2. good of its kind, excellent, “ς. νομαί” Hdt.4.23; ἡ σπουδαιοτάτη [τῶν ταριχεύσεων] the most elaborate, costliest, Id.2.86, cf. PSI4.413.26 (iii B.C.); ἡ ἰσηγορίη χρῆμα ς. Hdt.5.78; λόγος ς. Pi.P.4.132; “μουσική” Pl.Lg.668b; “τιμαί” Id.R.519d; “σπέρματα” X.Mem.4.4.23; δῶρον οὐ ς. εἰς ὄψιν not goodly to look on, S. OC577; τραγῳδία ς. Arist.Po.1449b17; “ς. ὑπόδημα” Id.EE1219a22:— a play on senses 11.1 and 11.2 in Arist.EN1176b25, 1177a3; ironically, ς. χρῆμα a fine thing, h.Merc.332.
III. Adv. σπουδαίως with haste or zeal, seriously, earnestly, well, X.Cyr.1.3.9, Pl.Cra.406b, etc.: Comp. “-ότερον” X.Cyr.2.3.20; “-οτέρως” Plu.Nob.15: Sup. τὰ -ότατα most carefully, in the best way, Hdt.2.86.—Besides the regul. Comp. and Sup., we find in Ion. the forms -έστερος, -έστατος, Hdt. 1.8, 133, Hecat. ap. Eust.1441.15, Eus.Mynd.4.