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μέγα^ς , μεγάλη [α^], μέγα^, gen. μεγάλου, ης, ου, dat. μεγάλῳ, , , acc. μέγα^ν, μεγάλην, μέγα^; dual μεγάλω, α, ω; pl. μεγάλοι, μεγάλαι, μεγάλα, etc.: the stem μεγάλο- is never used in sg. nom. and acc. masc. and neut., and only once in voc. masc.,
A. μεγάλε ΖεῦA.Th. 822 (anap.).
b. full-grown, of age as shown by stature, “νῦν δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ μ. εἰμίOd.2.314; “μήτε μέγαν μήτ᾽ οὖν νεαρῶν τιναA.Ag.358 (anap.); later, elder of two persons of the same name, Wilcken Chr.305 (iii B. C.); “Σκιπίων μ.Plb.18.35.9.
II. of quality or degree, great, mighty, freq. epith. of gods, “ μ. ΖεύςA. Supp.1052 (lyr.), etc.; μεγάλα θεά, of Demeter and Persephone, S. OC683 (lyr.); θεοὶ μεγάλοι, of the Cabiri, IG12(8).71 (Imbros), etc.; Μήτηρ μ., of Cybele, SIG1014.83 (Erythrae, iii B. C.), 1138.3 (Delos, ii B. C.); “Μήτηρ θεῶν μ.OGI540.6 (Pessinus), etc.; “Ἴσιδος μ. μητρὸς θεῶνPStrassb.81.14 (ii B.C.); “μ. Ἄρτεμις ἘφεσίωνAct.Ap.19.28; τίς θεὸς μ. ὡς θεὸς ἡμῶν; LXX Ps.76(77).13; “ μ. θεόςEp.Tit.2.13; of men, “μ. ἠδὲ κραταιόςOd.18.382; “ὀλίγος καὶ μ.Callin.1.17, etc.; μέγας ηὐξήθη rose to greatness, D.2.5; ἤρθη μ. ib.8; βασιλεὺς μ., i. e. the King of Persia, Hdt.1.188, etc. (θεῶν β. μ., of Zeus, Pi.O. 7.34); “βασιλεὺς μ.A.Pers.24 (anap.); as a title of special monarchs, “Ἀρδιαῖος μ.Pl.R.615c; “ μ. ἈλέξανδροςAth.1.3d; “ μ. ἐπικληθεὶς ἈντίοχοςPlb.4.2.7, etc.; “μ. φίλοςE.Med.549; “πλούτῳ τε κἀνδρείᾳ μ.Id.Tr.674; “ἐπὶ μέγα ἦλθεν ἰσχύοςTh.2.97.
2. strong, of the elements, etc., ἄνεμος, λαῖλαψ, Ζέφυρος, Od.19.200, 12.408, 14.458; of properties, passions, qualities, feelings, etc., of men, θάρσος, πένθος, ποθή, etc., 9.381, Il.1.254, 11.471, etc.; “ἀρετήOd.24.193, Pi. O.8.5; “θυμόςIl.9.496, E.Or.702; “κλέοςIl.6.446; “ἄχος9.9; “πυρετόςEv.Luc.4.38 (incorrect acc. to Gal.7.275); μ. νοῦσος epilepsy, Hp. Epid.6.6.5, cf. Gal.17(2).341.
4. generally, great, mighty, “ὅρκοςIl.19.113; ὄλβος, τιμά, Pi.O.1.56, P.4.148; μ. λόγος, μῦθος, a great story, rumour, A.Pr.732, S.Aj.226 (lyr.); ἐρώτημα a big, i. e. difficult, question, Pl.Euthd.275d, Hp.Ma. 287b; weighty, important, “τόδε μεῖζονOd.16.291; μέγα ποιέεσθαί τι to esteem of great importance, Hdt.3.42, cf. 9.111; “μέγα γενέσθαι εἴς τιX.HG7.5.6; “μ. ὑπάρχειν πρός τιId.Mem.2.3.4; “μέγα διαφέρειν εἴς τιPl.Lg.78oc; οὐκ ἂν εἴη παρὰ μέγα τὸ δικολογεῖν not of great importance, Phld.Rh.2.85 S.; τὸ δὲ μέγιστον and what is most important, Th.4.70, cf. 1.142; οἱ μέγιστοι καιροί the most pressing emergencies, D.20.44; μ. ὠνησάμενοι χρημάτων for large sums, Plb. 4.50.3, etc.
6. of style. impressive, Demetr.Eloc.278; μεῖζον more striking, ib.103.
7. of days, long, Gal.12.714.
B. Adv. μεγάλως [α^] greatly, mightily, Od.16.432, Hes.Th. 429, Hdt.1.16,30, al., X.Cyr.8.2.10, Parth.28.1, etc.; strengthd., “μάλα μ.Il.17.723; “δμαθέντες μ.A.Pers.907 (lyr.); with Adjs., Hdt. 1.4, 7.190.
II. more freq. neut. sg. μέγα as Adv., very much, exceedingly, μ. χαῖρε all hail!, v. l. for μάλα in Od.24.402; esp. with Verbs expressing strong feeling, “μ. κεν κεχαροίατοIl.1.256; “μ. κήδεται2.27, etc.: with Verbs expressing power, might, “μ. πάντων . . κρατέει1.78; “ὃς μ. πάντων. . ἤνασσε10.32; “πατρὸς μ. δυναμένοιοOd.1.276, cf. Hom.Epigr.15.1, A.Eu.950 (anap.), E.Hel.1358 (lyr.), Ar.Ra.141, Pl.R.366a; “μ. δύνασθαι παρά τινιTh.2.29; “πλουτέειν μ.Hdt.1.32; or those expressing sound, loudly, μ. ἰάχειν, ἀῧσαι, βοῆσαι, εὔξασθαι, ἀμβῶσαι, Il.2.333, 14.147, 17.334, Od.17.239, Hdt.1.8 (also pl., “μεγάλ᾽ εὔχετοIl.1.450; μ. αὐδήσαντος, μ. ἤπυεν, Od.4.505, 9.399): strengthd., “μάλα μ.Il.15.321; “μ. δ᾽ ἔβραχε φήγινος ἄξων5.838, etc.: so in Trag. with all kinds of Verbs, μ. στένειν, σθένειν, χλίειν, A.Ag.711 (lyr.), 938, Ch.137: also in pl., “μεγάλα. . δυστυχεῖςId.Eu.791 (lyr.).
C. degrees of Comparison (regul. μεγαλώτερος, -ώτατος late, EM780.1,2):
1. Comp. μείζων, ον, gen. ονος, Ep., Att. (also Delph., SIG246 H260 (iv B. C.)); Ion., Arc., Dor., Aeol. μέζων, ον, Heraclit. 25, Hp.Acut.44, Hdt.1.26, IG7.235.16 (Oropus), 5(2).3.18 (Tegea), Epich.62 (also early Att., IG12.22.65, but [με] ίζων ib.6.93, by analogy of ὀλείζων ib.76,95); dat. pl. “μεζόνεσσιDiotog. ap. Stob.4.7.62: written μέσδων in Sapph.Supp.7.6, Plu.Lyc.19: cf. μέττον: μεῖζον, Hsch. (dub.); later “μειζότερος3 Ep.Jo.4 (used as title, elder, POxy. 943.3 (vi A. D.), etc.); “μειζονώτεροςA.Fr.434:—greater, longer, taller, Il.3.168, 9.202, etc.; freq. also, too great, “γέραςPl.Sph.231a; Μηνόφιλος μείζων M. the elder, Ostr.Bodl.vC 2 (ii A. D.); as title, μειζων κώμης headman of a village, POxy.1626.5 (iv A. D.), etc.: generally, the higher authority, PLond.2.214.22 (iii A. D.), POxy.1204.17 (pl., iii A. D.); οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτε ἔλαττον, a strong form of denial, nothing whatever, D.H.Comp.4; “οὐδαμὰ προὔφηνεν οὔτε μείζον᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἐλάττοναS.Tr.324. Adv. “μειζόνωςE.Hec.1121, Th.1.130, X.Cyn.13.3, Isoc.9.21, etc.; Ion. “μεζόνωςHdt.3.128, Herod.4.80, etc.: neut. as Adv., “μεῖζον σθένεινS.Ph.456, E.Supp.216; “μ. ἰσχύεινD.Ep.3.28; “ἐπὶ μ. ἔρχεταιS.Ph.259.
2. Sup. μέγιστος, η, ον, Il.2.412, etc.: neut. as Adv., “μέγιστον ἴσχυσεS.Aj.502; δυνάμενος μ., c. gen., Hdt.7.5, 9.9: with another Sup., “μέγιστον ἐχθίστηE.Med.1323: in pl., “χαῖρ᾽ ὡς μέγισταS.Ph.462; “θάλλει μ.Id.OC700 (lyr.); “τὰ μέγιστ᾽ ἐτιμάθηςId.OT1203 (lyr.); ἐς μέγιστον ib.521; “ἐς τὰ μ.Hdt.8.111:—late Sup. “μεγιστότατοςPLond.1.130.49 (i/ii A. D.). (Cf. Skt. majmán- 'greatness', Lat. magnus, Goth. mikils 'great'.)
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