A.very, exceedingly, prefixed or subjoined to Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs:
1. strengthening the word with which it stands,
a. with Adjs., in Hom. most freq., μάλα πολλά very many, Od.1.1; μ. πᾶσα, μ. πάντα, every one, all together, Il.13.741, Od.2.306, etc.; μάλ᾽ ἀσκηθής all unhurt, 5.26; ἀβληχρὸς μ. τοῖος quite gentle, 11.135; σαρδάνιον μ. τοῖον a quite sardonic smile, 20.302; “μάλα μυρίοι” 15.556, 16.121, etc.; ἐμέο πρότερος μ. actually before me, Il.10.124; later, μ. φιλόσοφοι, πλάτανος μάλ᾽ ἀμφιλαφής, etc., Pl.Prm.126b, Phdr.230b, etc.: strengthd., μ. δὴ πρεσβύτης very old, X.Cyr.8.7.1; “μ. γέ τινες ὀλίγοι” Pl.R.531e.
b. with Advs., πάγχυ μ., μ. πάγχυ, quite utterly, Il.12.165, 14.143; “πάνυ μ.” Pl.Phd.80c; εὖ μ. right well, Od.22.190, Pl.Phd.92d, etc.; “μάλα . . εὖ” Od.23.175, cf. Pl.Tht.156a; μάλ᾽ αὐτίκα (v. αὐτίκα）; μάλ᾽ αἰεί for ever and aye, Il.13.557, 23.717; ἄχρι μ. κνέφαος until quite dark, Od.18.370; μάλ᾽ ὧδε just in this way, 6.258; μ. διαμπερές right through, Il.20.362; μ. μόλις (v. μόλις); to express repeated action, “μάλ᾽ αὖθις” A.Ag.1345, Ch.654; “μάλ᾽ αὖ” S.El.1410, etc.; μ. alone, “ἔα, ἔα μ.” A.Ch.870; “οἲ μ. καὶ τόδ᾽ ἀλγῶ” Id.Pers.1045 (lyr.); “εἶα μ.” Ar.Pax 460sq. (so “ἄλλος πύργος . . , καὶ ἕτερος μ. ἐπὶ τούτῳ” Hdt. 1.181, cf. 7.186): freq. after “καί, αὗταί σ᾽ ὁδηγήσουσι καὶ μάλ᾽ ἀσμένως” A.Pr.728, cf. Ch.879: with neg., μάλ᾽ οὐ, μάλ᾽ οὔ πως, Il.2.241, Od. 5.103; “οὐ μ.” Hdt.1.93, 2.37, S.Ph.676 (lyr.).
c. with Verbs, “μήτ᾽ ἄρ με μάλ᾽ αἴνεε” Il.10.249; “μ. τ᾽ ἔκλυον αὐτοῦ” 1.218; ἡ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἡνιόχευεν drove carefully, Od.6.319; μ . . . προπέμπει in earnest, A.Th.915 (lyr.), cf. Eu.368 (lyr.); “καὶ μ. δοκοῦντας φρονίμους εἶναι” X.Cyr.6.1.36; “μ. πολιορκούμενοι” Id.HG7.1.25.
2. strengthening an assertion, νῦν σε μ. χρὴ αἰχμητὴν ἔμεναι, i.e. now or never, Il.16.492; τῷ κε μάλ᾽ ἤ κεν μεῖνε . . then doubtless he would have stayed, Od.4.733; σοὶ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἕψομ᾽ ἐγώ yes indeed . . , Il.10.108; ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ ὤφελλες why plainly . . , Od.4.472: freq. with another word, as ἦ μ. δή . . now in very truth, Il.5.422, etc.; “ἦ δή που μ.” 21.583; freq. ἦ μ. (without δή) 3.204, etc.
3. in Hom. sts. after εἰ, as εἰ μ. μιν χόλος ἵκοι if wrath come on him ever so much, Il.17.399, cf. Od.5.485, al.; “καὶ εἰ μ. τις πολεμίζοι” Il.9.318; also μ. περ c. part., μ. περ μεμαώς though desiring never so much, 13.317, cf. 14.58, 17.710, al.; “καὶ μ. περ” 1.217, cf. 17.571; “καὶ εὐρέα περ μάλ᾽ ἐόντα” Od.18.385.
4. in Att. freq. in answers, yes, certainly, “μ. γε” Pl.R.555d, 564e, etc.; “μ. τοι” X.Mem.1.2.46; “καὶ μ.” Pl.Phdr.258c; “καὶ μ. γε” Id.Tht.148c, etc.; καὶ μ. δή ib.177a; καὶ μ. ἐπαύσατο certainly it stopped, Id.Smp.189a, etc.
II. Comp. μᾶλλον [α_ by nature, Hdn.Gr.2.932], Ion. μάλιον [α^] only in Tyrt.12.6, cf. Choerob.in An.Ox.2.240; late Dor. μαλλότερον Pempel. ap. Stob.4.25.52:—more, rather, Il.5.231, Od.1.351, al.: mostly folld. by ἤ, but in Prose also by a gen., μ. τοῦ ξυμφέροντος more than is expedient, Antipho 5.1; “μ. τοῦ δέοντος” Pl.Grg.487b, X.Mem.4.3.8 (sts. expressed by μᾶλλον alone, Pl. Phd.63d); “οὐπώποτ᾽ ἔργου μ. εἱλόμην λόγους” E.Fr.394; παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Pl.Lg.715d (v. infr. 8); in Id.Ap.36d, οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ ὅτι μ. πρέπει οὕτως, ὡς . . , ὡς is prob. = ἤ (v. ὡς): denoting a constant increase, more and more, sts. doubled, “μ. μ.” E.IT1406, Ar.Ra.1001 (lyr.), Alex.29: in positive sense, exceedingly, “κηρόθι μ.” Il.9.300, Od.15.370, al.:—Usage:
1. freq. strengthened by other words, “πολὺ μ.” Il.9.700, etc.; “ἔτι μ.” 14.97, al.; “μ. ἔτ᾽ ἢ τὸ πάροιθεν” Od.1.322; “καὶ μ.” Il.8.470; “καὶ μ. ἔτι” Od.18.22; “ἔτι καὶ μ.” Pi.P.10.57; “ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μ.” Il.23.386, 429, Hes.Th.428; “ἐπὶ μ.” Hdt.3.104; “ἔτι ἐπὶ μ.” Id.1.94; “πολλῷ μ.” Pl.Phd.80e, 1 Ep.Cor.12.22: also modified, μᾶλλόν τι somewhat more, “μ. τι περιημέκτεε” Hdt.1.114, cf.50, etc.; “μ. ἤδη προσδεχομένου” Th.8.71.
2. sts. with a second Comp., “ῥηΐτεροι μ.” Il.24.243, cf. Hdt.1.32, A.Th.673, Supp.279, S.Ant.1210, E.El.222, Pl. Phd.79e, Is.4.14 (s.v.l.), Arist.Top.116b24.
3. μᾶλλον δέ much more . . , or rather . . , to correct a statement already made, “ὁ δεσπότης πέπραγεν εὐτυχέστατα, μ. δ᾽ ὁ Πλοῦτος αὐτός” Ar.Pl.634; “πολλοί, μ. δὲ πάντες” D.18.65, cf. Pl.Smp.173e; so “ἢ μ.” Corn.ND20, Simp.in Ph.25.16; οὐχὶ μ. ἤ . . not so, but rather so . . , Th.2.87.
4. μ. δὲ καὶ ἡσυχαίτερα more or less violent, Id.3.82.
6. μ. ἤ . . folld. by οὐ in comparisons, where preference implies rejection or denial, “πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἤ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους” Th.3.36: preceded by another neg., Hdt.4.118, 5.94, 7.16. γ́, etc.: by an interrog. which conveys a neg. force, τίδεῖ . . μᾶλλον, ἤ οὐ . . ; X.HG6.3.15.
7. τὸ μ. καὶ ἧττον, a form of argument, a fortiori, Arist.Rh.1397b12.
III. Sup. μάλιστα most of all, above all, Hom., etc.; “πᾶσι, μάλιστα δ᾽ ἐμοί” Od.21.353; μ. μὲν . . , ἔπειτα or ἔπειτα δέ . . , first and above all . . , next . . , S.OT647, cf. Ph.1285; μ. μὲν . . , δεύτερον δὲ . . Is.2.20; μ. μὲν . . , εἰ δὲ μὴ . . Hdt.8.22, Th.1.40, Pl.R.590d, D.20.25, etc.; “τοῦτο δ᾽ ἐστὶ μ. μὲν θάνατος, εἰ δὲ μή, πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἀφελέσθαι” Id.21.152; μάλιστα μὲν . . , μᾶλλον μέντοι . . Pl.Smp.180b; μάλιστα . . , εἰ μὴ δ᾽ . . S.Ph.617; δοκέων μιν μ. ταύτης ἂν πείθεσθαι certainly, Hdt.3.53; τί μ.; what precisely? Pl.Grg.448d, cf. Men.80b, Smp.218c: c. gen. partit., “μ. πάντων” Hdt.2.37, Pl.Prt.327a, cf. Th. 4.86; τὸ μ. πάντων the supreme reality, Plot.5.5.11; τὸ μ. εἶναι the highest degree of being, Id.6.2.7.
1. strengthd., ὡς μ. certainly, A.Supp.294, Pl.R.460a, etc.; “ὅσον μ.” A.Pr.524; “ὅσα ἐδύνατο μ.” Hdt.1.185; “ὡς δύναμαι μ.” Pl.R.367b; “ὡς οἷόν τε μ.” Id.Grg.510b; “εἰς ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν μ.” Id.Phdr.277a; “ὅτι μ. δύνασαι” Id.Sph.239b; “μακρῷ μ.” Hdt.1.171; “πολλῷ μ.” Paus.1.42.3; “παντὸς μ.” D.H.3.35, etc.
2. with the Art., ἐς τὰ μ. in the highest degree, Hdt.1.20, 2.76, Th.6.104, 8.6, D.21.212: without “ἐς, φίλοι τὰ μ.” Hdt.2.147, cf.Th. 1.92, D.21.62; “τά γε μ.” Pl.Lg.794d; εἰ τὰ μ. ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς if they were ever so true, D.18.95; εἰ τὰ μ. μὴ τινές, ἀλλὰ πάντες . . if (to put an extreme case) not some, but all . . , Id.20.2; “εἰ . . δοκοίη τὰ μ.” Id.18.21; ἀνὴρ δόκιμος ὁμοῖα τῷ μ. as famous as he that is most [famous], Hdt.7.118, cf. 3.8; “τοῖς μάλισθ᾽ ὁμοίως” D.Ep.2.24.
b. ἐν τοῖς μ. especially, as much as any, Th.8.90, Pl.Smp.173b, etc.: with a Sup., “ἐν τοῖς μ. ὠμότατος” Ael.VH14.40; “φιλτάτη καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτη ἐν τοῖς μ.” Procop.Arc.4.
3. added to a Sup. (v. “μάλα” 11.2, πλεῖστον）, ἔχθιστος μ., μ. φίλτατος, Il.2.220, 24.334; “μ. κῃ ἐμφερέστατα” Hdt.2.76; “μ. φίλτατος” E.Hipp.1421: to a Comp. (?), “μ. δὴ ὀκνηρότεροι ἐγένοντο” Th.4.55.
5. with numerals, in round numbers, about, Th.3.29, 92, X.HG5.2.31, etc.; πεντήκοντα μάλιστα is 49 in Th.1.118; “ἑκατοστὸς μ.” 99th, Id.8.68; ἐς μέσον μάλιστά κῃ about the middle, Hdt. 1.191, cf. 76; “ἥμισυ μ.” Th.1.93; μ. σφᾶς μεσοῦν δειπνοῦντας that they were about the middle of supper, Pl.Smp.175c; “κου μ.” Hdt.7.22; “μ. πως” Plb.2.41.13.
