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μέσος

I.middle, in the middle, Lat. medius, Hom., etc.; μέσον σάκος the middle or centre of the shield, Il.; ἐν αἰθέρι μέσῳ in mid air, Soph.; with the Art. following, διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως, ἐν μ. τῇ χώρᾳ Xen.
2.with a Verb, ἔχεται μέσος by the middle, by the waist, proverb. from the wrestling-ring, Ar.
3.μ. δικαστής ῀ μεσίτης, a judge between two, an umpire, Thuc.
4.ὁ μέσος (sc. δάκτυλος) Plat.
5.of Time, μέσον ἦμαρ mid- day, Hom.; μέσαι νύκτες Hdt.; also, μέσον τῆς ἡμέρας id=Hdt.
II.middling, moderate, μέσος ἀνήρ a man of middle rank, id=Hdt.; μ. πολίτης Thuc.; also οἱ διὰ μέσου the moderate or neutral party, id=Thuc.
2.middling, i. e. middling good, Plat.
III.μέσον epic μέσσον, ου, as Subst. the middle, the space between, ἐν μέσσῳ, for ἐν μεταιχμίῳ, Il.; or without ἐν, ἔνθορε μέσσῳ he leaped into the middle, id=Il.; οἱ ἐν μ. λόγοι the intervening words, Soph.; τὰ ἐν μ. what went between, id=Soph.; ἐν μ. ἡμῶν καὶ βασιλέως between us and him, Xen.; ἐν μ. νυκτῶν at mid night, id=Xen.; ἆθλα κείμενα ἐν μέσῳ prizes set up for all to contend for, Dem.;—so in pl., κεῖτο δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐν μέσσοισι Il.
b.ἐς μέσον, ἐς μ. ἀμφοτέρων Hom.; ἐς μ. τιθέναι τισί τι to set a prize before all, for all to contest, Lat. in medio ponere, Il.; ἐς τὸ μ. τιθέναι to propose, bring forward in public, Hdt.; ἐς τὸ μ. λέγειν to speak before all, id=Hdt.; ἐς μ. Πέρσῃσι καταθεῖναι τὰ πρήγματα to give up the power in common to all, id=Hdt.
c.ἐκ τοῦ μέσου καθέζεσθαι to keep clear of a contest, i. e. remain neutral, id=Hdt.
d.διὰ μέσου = μεταξύ, between, id=Hdt., Thuc.; and of Time, meanwhile,Hdt., Thuc.
e.ἀνὰ μέσον midway between, Theocr.
f.κατὰ μέσσον, ῀ ἐν μέσῳ, Il.
2.τὸ μέσον, also, the difference, average, Hdt., Thuc.
3.the middle state or mean, Lat. mediocritas, Arist.; παντὶ μέσῳ τὸ κράτος θεὸς ὤπασεν Aesch.
IV.adv. μέσον, epic μέσσον, in the middle, Hom.: c. gen. between, οὐρανοῦ μ. χθονός τε Eur.
2.in attic μέσως, moderately, id=Eur.; καὶ μέσως even a little, Thuc.; μέσως βεβιωκέναι in a middle way, i. e. neither well nor ill, Plat.
V.irreg. comp. μεσαίτερος (cf. μεσαῖος) id=Plat.; Sup. μεσαίτατος Hdt., etc.

Liddell and Scott. An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1889.

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