A.“μικρός” Hdt. 2.74 codd.): freq. in Lyr. and prob. always in Trag. (exc. where metre requires μικρός, as S.Aj.161 (anap., Comp.)); most freq. in Pl.; but in Th., also Ar. and other Com., μικρός prevails, σμικρός being found Th.4.13,7.75,8.81, Ar.Ach.523, V.5; Att. Inscrr. have “σμικρός” IG12.313.111, al., μικρός ib.369.10, al.:—small, little,
1. in Size, “μ. ἔην δέμας” Il.5.801; “μ. λίθος” Od.3.296; “κίρκον, ὅ τε σμικρῇσι φόνον φέρει ὀρνίθεσσιν” Il.17.757; “σμ. ἄστεα” Hdt.1.5; “μεγάθεϊ σμικροί” Id.2.74: with Dims., μ. πολίχνιον, γῄδιον, παιδάρια, Isoc.5.145, X. Cyr.8.3.38, Ages.1.21: as a Com. exaggeration, “δικαστηρίδιον μ. πάνυ” Ar.V.803; “σκαλαθυρμάτι᾽ ἄττα μ.” Id.Nu.630, etc.: c. inf., “μικροὶ δ᾽ ὁρᾶν” Id.Pax821: as a term of reproach, “Κλειγενὴς ὁ μικρός” Id.Ra.709, cf. Pl.Prt.323d, Arist.EN1123b7, Alex.98.7; “Ἀμύντας ὁ μ.” Arist. Pol.1311b3; οἱ ἐν μικρῷ μεγάλοι short but stoutly built, Philostr. Gym. 36; “ὁ μ. δάκτυλος” SIG1172.4 (Lebena).
2. in Quantity, “σμικρὸν ἐπὶ σμικρῷ καταθεῖναι” Hes.Op.361; “μέλιτος μικρόν” Ar.V.878; μ. ὄψον, ἀργυρίδιον, X.Mem.3.14.1, Ar.Pl.240, cf. Antiph.44.
3. in Amount or Importance, petty, trivial, slight, “σμ. πρόφασις” Thgn.323; ἔπος, ἔγκλημα, ῥοπή, etc., S.OC443, Tr.361, OT961, etc.; ἐκ σμικροῦ λόγου on some slight pretext, Id.OC620; ἐν σμικρῷ λόγῳ παρῆκεν as of small account, ib.569; “αἰτίας μικρᾶς πέρι” E.Andr.387, etc.; οὐδὲ μικρόν, = οὐδὲ γρῦ, D.19.37; of persons, of small account, opp. “μέγας, σμ. ἐν σμικροῖς, μέγας ἐν μεγάλοις” Pi.P.3.107; “ἄριστ᾽ ἂν καὶ μέγας ὀρθοῖθ᾽ ὑπὸ μικροτέρων” S.Aj.161 (anap.), etc.; “σμ. τίθησί με” Id.OC958; βίος ὁ μ., = μέτριος, E.Fr.504; τίνος σμικροτάτου μεταβαλόντος, σμικρότατος τὴν δύναμιν, Pl.R.473b; of the mind, “οὐ σμικρὸν φρονεῖ” S.Aj.1120; of style, mean, [“Φίλιστος] μικρὸς ταῖς ἐκφράσεσιν” D.H.Vett.Cens.3.2; of festivals, of lesser importance, “Ἁλίεια τὰ μεγάλα καὶ τὰ μ.” SIG1067.14 (Cedreae).
II. of Time, short, Pi.O.12.12, Ar.Pl.126, etc.; “εἰς μ. χρόνον” Pl.R.498d; ἐν μικρῷ (sc. χρόνῳ) shortly, X.Cyn.5.32, Eq. 8.7; “πρὸ μικροῦ” Poll.1.72; “ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ καταλιθοβολήσουσί με” LXX Ex.17.4.
2. of Age, young, Ostr.Bodl.i237 (ii B.C.), etc.
III. Adverbial usages,
1. regul. Adv. σμικρῶς, but little, Pl.Criti.107d; μικρῶς by a little, prob. in Archim.Stom.1: Sup. “σμικρότατα” X.Mem. 3.11.12.
2. σμικροῦ or μικροῦ within a little, almost, Id.Cyr.1.4.8, D.18.151, etc.; in full, μικροῦ δεῖν, v. δεῖ 11, δέω (B) 1; μικροῦ τινος ἀπελείφθη τοῦ μή . . Ach.Tat.7.13; but μικροῦ πρίασθαι for a little, cheap, X.Mem.2.10.4.
3. σμικρῷ by a little, with Comp., Pl.Plt. 262c, etc.; also σμικρῷ πρόσθεν a little before, Id.Lg.719b, etc.; “μικρῷ ἄνωθεν” D.44.6.
4. μικρόν a little, σμικρὸν ὑπολείπεσθαι, σμ. τι παρακλίνειν, X.An.5.4.22, Pl.Cra.410a; of Time, X.An.3.1.11, etc.; repeated, “μικρὸν μικρόν” Antiph.10: pl., of Degree, “σμικρὰ γεωμετρίας ἔμπειροι” Pl.R.527a, etc.; “σμίκρ᾽ ἄττα διατρίψαντες” Id.Prt.316a; “μικρὰ διακινήσω σε περὶ τοῦ πράγματος” Sosip.1.22; “περιπάτησον μικρὰ μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ” Men.Sam.243, cf. Plu.Luc.31.
5. with Preps.,
b. κατὰ μικρόν into small pieces, X.An.7.3.22; so κατὰ μικρὰ γενομένης τῆς δυνάμεως ib. 5.6.32; also, little by little, “κατὰ μικρὸν ἀεί” Ar.V.702, cf. Nu.741; opp. συλλήβδην, Pl.R.344a; καὶ κατὰ σμ. or μ. ever so little, Id.Sph.241c, Isoc.3.10, D.2.22.
c. παρὰ μικρόν within a little, παρὰ μ. ἐλθεῖν c. inf., to be within an ace of doing, E.Heracl.295 (anap.), cf. Isoc.7.6, etc.; “παρὰ μ. ἦλθον ἀποθανεῖν” Id.17.42; “τὸ παρὰ μ. ὥσπερ οὐδὲν ἀπέχειν δοκεῖ” Arist.Ph.197a30; but τὸ παρὰ μ. σῴζεσθαι to be only just saved, Id.Rh.1371b11, cf. Simp. in Ph.344.10; gradual, imperceptible change, Arist.Pol.1303a20; οὐδὲ παρὰ μ. ἦν κρεῖττον c. inf., Plb.12.20.7; [“ἡ τύχη] παρὰ μ. εἰς ἑκάτερα ποιεῖ μεγάλας ῥοπάς” Id.15.6.8, cf. Isoc.4.59; but also παρὰ μ. ποιεῖσθαι, ἡγεῖσθαι, to think little of . . , D.61.51, Isoc.5.79.
d. μετὰ μικρόν a little after, Ev.Matt.26.73.
IV. besides regul. Comp. and Sup. μικρότερος, -ότατος (Ar. Eq.789, D.Prooem.48, etc.), there are the irreg. ἐλάσσων, ἐλάχιστος, from ἐλαχύς, and μείων, μεῖστος, also μειότερος; v. μείων. [ι_ by nature; ι^ only in late Poetry, Epigr. ap. Phleg.Fr.36.17 J.] (Perh. cf. Lat. mīca, mīcidus, OHG. smāhi, ONorse smár 'little'.)
