I. of Size, μ. ἄνδρες men of average height, Hdt.2.32; μ. πῆχυς the common cubit, Id.1.178; ἰσχὰς μ. a fair-sized fig, Diocl.Fr.140; of Time, μ. μῆκος λόγων the proper length of speech, Pl.Prt.338b; μ. χρόνος ἀκμῆς a fair average time of maturity, Id.R. 460e.
II. of Number, [ἱππεῖς] μ. a reasonable number of . . , X. Cyr.2.4.14.
III. mostly of Degree, moderate, “ἔργα” Hes.Op.306; “μ. νῦν ἔπος εὔχου” A.Supp.1059 (lyr.); “μ. χάρις” E.IA554 (lyr.); “σῖτος -ώτατος” X.Lac.1.3; τὸ μ. the mean, S.OC1212 (lyr.), cf. Pl.Lg.719e, Plt.284e; “ὁμολογεῖται τὸ μ. ἄριστον καὶ τὸ μέσον” Arist.Pol.1295b4; “περαιτέρω τοῦ μ.” X.Mem.3.13.5; “πέρα τοῦ μ.” Thphr.CP6.1.4; “ἐνδοτέρω τοῦ μ.” Plu.2.656f; “τὰ μ.” E.Med.125 (anap.); “εἴη γ᾽ ἐμοὶ μέτρια” Id.Ion632; “τὰ μ. κεκτῆσθαι” X.Mem.2.6.22; “μ. καὶ δίκαια” Ar.Nu. 1137; μ. φιλία a friendship not too great, E.Hipp.253 (anap.); “μετρίων λέκτρων μετρίων δὲ γάμων . . κῦρσαι θνητοῖσιν ἄριστον” Id.Fr.503 (anap.); μ. ἐσθῆτι χρῆσθαι simple dress, Th.1.6; μετρία φυλακῇ not in strict custody, Id.4.30; “βίος μ. καὶ βέβαιος” Pl.R.466b; μ. σχῆμα modest apparel, Id.Grg.511e; “μ. οὐσίαν κεκτῆσθαι” Arist.Pol.1292b26; οἱ μ. respectable people, D.18.10; later, poor, “μ. καὶ δυστυχεῖς” POxy.120.7 (iv A. D.), etc.: with inf., ὅσον οἰόμεθα μέτριον εἶναι πιεῖν just sufficient, Pl.Phd.117b.
2. tolerable, “οἷς μὴ μ. αἰών” S.Ph.179 (lyr.); “ἀπὸ τῶν μ. ἐπ᾽ ἀμήχανον ἄλγος” Id.El.140 (lyr.); “μ. ἄχθος” E.Alc.884 (anap.); “κακά” Id.Tr.722; ναύταις μ. χειμὼν φέρειν ib. 688; μετρίων δεομένῳ making a moderate request, Hdt.4.84; “τυχεῖν τῶν μετρίων” Lys.9.4; τὰ μ. tolerable terms. Decr. ap. D.18.165; “ἐπὶ μετρίοις” Th.4.22; μηδὲν μ. λέγειν nothing tolerably accurate, Pl.Tht. 181b; -ωτάτη ἡ δημοκρατία least intolerable, Arist.Pol.1289b4, cf. Men.532.17 (Sup.).
3. of Persons, moderate in desires and the like , temperate, Ar.Pl.245; -“ώτεροι ἐς τὰ πολιτικά” Th.6.89; “μ. πρὸς τὰς ἡδονάς” Pl.Lg.816b; “σώφρων καὶ μ. πρὸς τὴν καθ᾽ ἡμέραν δίαιταν” Aeschin.3.170; “ἐν τῷ σίτῳ” X.Cyr.5.2.17; of Love, μάκαρες οἳ μ. θεοῦ (sc. Ἀφροδίτης）“ μετέσχον” E.IA543 (lyr.), cf. Fr.967 (lyr.); “εἰ δ᾽ ἦσθα μ. τἄλλα γ᾽ ἡδίστη θεῶν πέφυκας” Id.Hel.1105; also, moderate, fair, Thgn.615, Pl.R.396c, etc.; a favourite word in democratic states, “μ. καὶ φιλάνθρωπος” D.21.185; σαυτὸν -ώτερον παρέχειν ib.134; μ. πρὸς τοὺς ὑπηκόους mild towards . . , Th.1.77.
B. Adv. μετρίως moderately, within due limits, “ἀπηγήσεσθαι” Hdt.2.161; in due measure, neither exaggerating nor depreciating, “εἰπεῖν” Th.2.35; “λέγειν” Pl.R.518b; “μ. περὶ αὑτῶν διαλεχθέντες” Isoc.12.171; μ. ἔχειν to be in due proportion, neither too much nor too little, Pl.Tht.191d; μ. ἔχειν βίου to be moderately well off, Hdt.1.32; “μ. φιλοσοφίας ἔχειν” Pl.Euthd.305d: Comp. μετριώτερον (infr. 3), also -ωτέρως Arist.HA587a1: Sup. -ώτατα Th.6.88, etc.
2. enough, “μ. κεχόρευται” Ar.Nu.1511 (anap.); “μ. πρὸς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάγκην εἰρημένα” Id.Ec. 969; moderately, pretty well, “ἐν οἰκουμένῃ καὶ μ. πολιτείᾳ” Pl.Lg.936b; “σωφρονοῦσι καὶ μ.” D.6.19; μ. [λέγειν] Men.Pk.262; “ἀποδέξασθαι μ.” Pl. Tht.161b.
3. modestly, temperately, “χαίρειν” E.IA921, cf. HF709; “ἀποκρίνασθαι” X.An.2.3.20; “μ. βεβιωκώς” Lys. 16.3 (but μ. διάγειν to be moderately off, X.Hier.1.8); “πενθεῖν μ.” Antiph.53.1; “φέρειν” Plb.3.85.9; on fair terms, “μ. ξυναλλαγῆναι” Th.4.19, cf. 20: Comp. -ώτερον“, πρός τινας φρονεῖν” X.Cyr.4.3.7.
II. neut. μέτριον and μέτρια as Adv., “μέτριον ἔχειν” Pl.Lg.846c (sed leg. μέτρον）“; μέτρια βασανισθείς” Id.Sph.237b: also with Art., “τὸ μέτριον ἀποκοιμηθῆναι” X.Cyr.2.4.26; “τὰ μέτρια διαφέρεσθαι” Th.4.19, cf. 8.84.
