A.smaller, less, formed from ἐλαχύς (q.v.), but serving as Comp. to “μικρός, δουρηνεκὲς ἢ καὶ ἔλασσον” Il.10.357; τοὔλασσον ἔχειν to have the worse, be worse off, “πάντῃ” Thgn.269; “οὐδὲν ἔλασσον ἔχειν τῇ μάχῃ” Hdt.9.102; “ἔ. ἔχειν παρά τινι” D.21.187; “ἐλάττων γίγνεσθαι” Ar.Eq. 441, D.3.29; “οὐκ ἐλάσσονα πάσχειν” A.Pers.813; ἐλάττω νομίσας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἢ κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ φύσιν εἶναι too small for . ., Isoc.11.11: abs., too small, Thphr.Char.23.9; below the average in height, PLips.1.9, etc.
2. c. gen. pers., worse than, inferior to, Ar.V.599, etc.: but c. gen. rei, giving way to, subservient to, “σιτίων” X.Lac.5.8; “πάθους” Plu.Cor.34: abs., worse, inferior, “τόποι” Gp.2.48.1.
3. neut. with Preps., περὶ ἐλάσσονος ποιεῖσθαι to consider of less account, Hdt.6.6; “ἐν ἐλάττονι θέσθαι” Plb.4.6.12; “παρ᾽ ἔλαττον τοῦ δέοντος ἡγεῖσθαι” Pl.R. 546d; ἐπ᾽ ἔλαττον (sc. ἁρμοσθῆναι) Id.Phd.93b; δι᾽ ἐλάσσονος at less distance, Th.7.4; “πάντ᾽ ἐν ἐλάττονι ποιεῖσθαι τῆς ἡδονῆς” Heraclid.Pont. ap.Ath.12.537c.
II. of Number, fewer, οἱ ἐλάσσονες the minority, Hdt.3.121; “ἐλάσσονες ἀριθμόν” Id.8.66; “ἔ. πλῆθος” Th.1.49.
III. of Time, shorter, Pl.Plt.295c, etc.
V. neut. ἔλασσον, as Adv., “ἔ. ἢ μηδέν” A.Pr.938, cf. S.El.598, Pl.R.564d, etc.; ἔ. ἄπωθεν less far off, Th.4.67; πλείω ἔλαττον, with numbers, more or less, PLips.28.10 (iv A.D.), etc.: neut. pl., as Adv.,= ἐλαττονάκις, Pl.Cri.53a, al.: regul. Adv. ἐλασσόνως (q.v.).
VI. with indecl. Numerals, the ἤ of Comparison is often omitted, “οὐκ ἐλάττους ὀγδοήκοντα” D.S.14.8; esp. in Adv. ἔλασσον, as “μὴ ἔ. δέκα ἔτη” Pl.Lg.856d,al. (Orig. ἐλάχγων, cf. ἐλάχ-ιστος, ἐλαχύς.)
