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ὀλίγος [ι^], η, ον, later ὀλίος (q.v.), of Size,
A.little, small, freq. in Hom., rarer later, opp. “μέγας, σάκοςIl.14.376 ; “κῦμαOd.10.94, etc. ; ὀλίγῃ ὀπί with small, low voice, 14.492 ; of stature, 9.515 ; “. κῶροςTheoc.1.47 ; “οὐκ ὀλίγης αἷμα βοὸς κέχυταιCall.Aet.Oxy.2080.85 ; of Space, “. χῶροςIl.10.161, etc. ; of Time, “χρόνος19.157,23.418, Pi. N.7.38, etc. ; “ἐν βραχεῖ κὠλίγῳ χρόνῳS.Fr.646 (cf. IV. 3).
2. sts. in a sense between that of Size and Quantity, “. δόσιςOd.6.208 ; “οὖρα ὀλίγαnot copious, Hp.Epid.1.2 ; ὑποστάσιες ὀλίγαι slight sediments, ib.17 ; . καὶ οὐδέν little or nothing, Pl.Ap.23a ; “οὐδὲν .Arist.PA651b17.
3. of Degree, . καὶ μέγας of low and high degree, Callin.1.17.
II. of Number, few, or of Quantity, little, not in Hom., freq. in Att., Ar.Av.1417, Eq.717, etc., but rare in Trag., as “ὀλίγα κακάA.Pers.330.—The governing body in Oligarchies and the oligarchical party in Democracies was called οἱ ., Th.6.38,8.9, etc. ; ὑπὸ τῶν . δυναστεία, αἱ διὰ τῶν . δυναστεῖαι, Pl.Plt.291d, D.60.25 ; “ἑνὸς καὶ πλήθους τὸ . μέσονPl.Plt.303a.
III. neut. ὀλίγον as Adv., a little, slightly, little, with Verbs, “. παρακλίναςIl.23.424, cf. 11.52, 12.452 ; “φροντίσαςE.Cyc.163 ; “. τοῦ ποιήματος προελθώνPl.Prt.339d : also neut. pl., “ἠκροβολίσαντο ὀλίγαTh.3.73.
2. with comp. Adjs., “ὀλίγον προγενέστεροςIl.23.789 ; “. ἧσσονOd.15.365 ; “στιβαρώτερον οὐκ . περ8.187 ; “φέρτερος οὐκ . περIl.19.217 ; . τι πρότερον, v.l. for ὀλίγῳ, Hdt.4.79,81, cf. Pl.Plt.262b, etc. ; “. ὕστερονId.Grg.454b, etc. ; but ὀλίγῳ is more freq. in Prose, Hdt. ll.cc. (with v.l.), 7.113, al., Pl.Grg.460c, R.327c, etc.
IV. special Phrases:
2.δι᾽ ὀλίγουat a short distance, E.Ph.1098, Th.2.89,3.21, dub. in A.Th.762 (lyr.) ; for (during) a short time, Th.1.77,2.85,3.43 ; within or after a short time, Id.6.11,47,7.39, etc. ; but
b.δι᾽ ὀλίγωνin few words, Pl. Phlb.31d, etc. ; v. infr. VI.2.
b. ἐν ὀλίγοις one among few, i.e. exceedingly, remarkably,ποταμὸς ἐν . μέγαςHdt.4.52 ; “ἐν ὀλίγοισι Περσέων . . ἀνὴρ δόκιμοςId.9.41 : freq. in later writers, Plu. Pomp.10, Hld.3.1 ; so σὺν ὀλίγοις, v. infr. 10.
4. ἐξ ὀλίγου at short notice, suddenly,ἐξ . καὶ δι᾽ ὀργῆςTh.2.11, cf. 61,4.108, etc.
6.ἐπ᾽ ὀλίγονfor a short time, Hp.Prorrh.1.26, Plot. 4.4.29, Gp.7.12.22, 10.7.10, etc. ; a little at a time, Hp.VC18 ; “εἴρηται ἐν τῷ [βιβλίῳ] ἐπ᾽ ὀλίγονa little way on, near the beginning, Gal.15.428.
7.κατ᾽ ὀλίγονby little and little, Th.1.69, Pl.Ti.85d, Luc. Nec.11, etc. ; “ἐκ τοῦ κατ᾽ .D.S.15.34, Ath.Med. ap. Orib.1.2.6 : but the Adj.freq. takes the gender and number of its Subst., “κατ᾽ ὀλίγουςHdt.2.93, 8.113 ; οὗτοι κατ᾽ ὀλίγους γινόμενοι ἐμάχοντο fought few at a time, in small parties, Id.9.102, cf. Pl.Tht.197d ; κατ᾽ ὀλίγον μαχεῖται (sc. τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν) Th.4.10.
8.μετ᾽ ὀλίγον τούτωνshortly after . . , X.HG1.1.2.
9. παρ᾽ ὀλίγον with little to spare, only just,ἀπέφυγεςE.IT870(lyr.) ; to within a short distance of,παρ᾽ . ἦλθε . . ἐκπεσεῖνPlb. 2.55.4, cf. 18.46.12 ; but
b. παρ᾽ . ποιεῖσθαι hold of small account, X.An.6.6.11.
V. regul. Adv. ὀλίγως is rare, 2 Ep.Pet.2.18, Aq. Is.10.7 ; “οὐκ .AP12.205Strat.).
VI. Comparison :
1. the Comp. is commonly supplied by μείων, ἥσσων, or ἐλάσσων (qq.v.) ; the older form ὀλείζων (fr. Ο᾿λειγ-ψων) is found in Hom., λαοὶ δ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ὀλείζονες ἦσαν (ὑπολίζονες codd.) Il.18.519 ; so in Att. Inscrr., IG12.76.8 (written ὄλεζον ib.63.17, al.) ; τοῖσι . . ὀλείζοσι μυστηρίοισιν ib.6.76, cf. 95 ; ὀλείζους is prob. in X.Ath.2.1 (μείζους codd.) ; so in Alexandrian Poets, Call.Jov.72 (ὀλίζοσι codd.), AP9.521 ; ἐς ὀλίζονας ἀστέρας ἄρκτου Poet. ap. Theodos. in HilgardExc.exHdn.p.19 ; also “ὀλίζωνεςNic.Th.123, ὀλίζωνα ib.372 ; ὀλιζότερος is found in Id.Al. 479, Opp.C.3.65,394, cf. ὀλιζόω ; ὀλιγώτερος is found in Hp.Virg.I (with the sense weaker, v. supr. 1.4), S.E.M.1.70, App.Pun.42, Mith.24, Ael.NA2.42,6.51.
2. Sup. ὀλίγιστος, η, ον, always of Number or Quantity, Il.19.223, Hes.Op.723, IG12.54.7, Ar.Ra.115, Pl.628, Pl.R.473b, al. ; ὀλιγίστου, Sup. of ὀλίγου (cf. IV. I), very nearly, Phot., Hsch. (ubi ὀλιγωστοῦ) ; ὀλίγιστον as Adv., least, very little, Pl.R.587b ; “τὸ .at least, Id.Prm.149a ; “ὡς ὀλίγισταId.Grg. 510a, Lg.953a (v.l. ὀλιγοστά) ; “ἐν ὀλιγίστῳ διασαφῶνEust.1262.54 ; so “δι᾽ ὀλιγίστωνPl.Ep.351d (interpol.). (Aspirated in papyri of ii-iii A.D., as “μεθ᾽ ὁλίγονBGU388.11, cf. 146.10.)
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