I.of Number or Quantity, few, little, scanty, small, opp. to πολύς, Hom., etc.; the governing body in Oligarchies was called οἱ ὀλίγοι, Thuc., etc.
2.c. inf. too few to do a thing, Hdt., Thuc.
III.neut. ὀλίγον as adv., little, a little, slightly, Hom., Eur.; with comp. Adjs., ὀλίγον προγενέστερος Il.; ὀλ. ἧσσον Od.; so, ὀλ. τι πρότερον Hdt.; but ὀλίγῳ is more common with the comp. in Prose, id=Hdt., etc.
IV.special phrases:
1.ὀλίγου δεῖν almost, ὀλίγοῦ ἐδέησε καταλαβεῖν wanted but little of overtaking, id=Hdt.:—hence ὀλίγου alone, all but, almost, Od., attic; ὀλίγου ἐς χιλίους hard upon 1000, Thuc.
2.δι᾽ ὀλίγου (sc. χώρου) at a short distance, Aesch., etc.: also, δι᾽ ὀλίγου (sc. χρόνου) at short notice, suddenly, Thuc.:— δι᾽ ὀλίγων in few words, Plat.
3.ἐν ὀλίγῳ (sc. χώρῳ) in a small space, within small compass, Thuc.:—also, ἐν ὀλίγῳ (sc. χρόνῳ) in a short time, suddenly, Plat., NTest.
7.κατ᾽ ὀλίγον by little and little, id=Thuc.; but the adj. often takes the gender and number of its Subst., κατ᾽ ὀλίγους few at a time, in small parties, Hdt., Thuc.
VI.Comparison:
