Bible Lexicons

μαλιστα

Neuter plural of the superlative of an apparently primary adverb μαλα mala (very)

μάλα

[ μᾰλᾰ; but Hom. sts. uses the ult. long before λ, Il. 3.214, 4.379; before μ, 10.172 ],

Adv. very, exceedingly, prefixed or subjoined to Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs:

I

1 strengthening the word with which it stands, with Adjs., in Hom. most freq., μάλα πολλά very many, Od. 1.1; μ. πᾶσα, μ. πάντα, every one, all together, Il. 13.741, Od. 2.306, etc.; μάλ' ἀσκηθής all unhurt, 5.26; ἀβληχρὸς μ. τοῖος quite gentle, 11.135; σαρδάνιον μ. τοῖον a quite sardonic smile, 20.302; μάλα μυρίοι 15.556, 16.121, etc.; ἐμέο πρότερος μ. actually before me, Il. 10.124; later, μ. φιλόσοφοι, πλάτανος μάλ' ἀμφιλαφής, etc., Pl. Prm. 126b, Phdr. 230b, etc.: strengthd., μ. δὴ πρεσβύτης very old, X. Cyr. 8.7.1; μ. γέ τινες ὀλίγοι Pl. R. 531e. with Advs., πάγχυ μ., μ. πάγχυ, quite utterly, Il. 12.165, 14.143; πάνυ μ. Pl. Phd. 80c; εὖ μ. right well, Od. 22.190, Pl. Phd. 92d, etc.; μάλα.. εὖ Od. 23.175, cf. Pl. Tht. 156a; μάλ' αὐτίκα (v. αὐτίκα) ; μάλ' αἰεί for ever and aye, Il. 13.557, 23.717; ἄχρι μ. κνέφαος until quite dark, Od. 18.370; μάλ' ὧδε just in this way, 6.258; μ. διαμπερές right through, Il. 20.362; μ. μόλις (v. μόλις); to express repeated action, μάλ' αὖθις A. Ag. 1345, Ch. 654; μάλ' αὖ S. El. 1410, etc.; μ. alone, ἔα, ἔα μ. A. Ch. 870; οἲ μ. καὶ τόδ' ἀλγῶ Id. Pers. 1045 (lyr.); εἶα μ. Ar. Pax 460s q. (so ἄλλος πύργος.., καὶ ἕτερος μ. ἐπὶ τούτῳ Hdt. 1.181, cf. 7.186): freq. after καί, αὗταί σ' ὁδηγήσουσι καὶ μάλ' ἀσμένως A. Pr. 728, cf. Ch. 879: with neg., μάλ' οὐ, μάλ' οὔ πως, Il. 2.241, Od. 5.103; οὐ μ. Hdt. 1.93, 2.37, S. Ph. 676 (lyr.). with Verbs, μήτ' ἄρ με μάλ' αἴνεε Il. 10.249; μ. τ' ἔκλυον αὐτοῦ 1.218; ἡ δὲ μάλ' ἡνιόχευεν drove carefully, Od. 6.319; μ... προπέμπει in earnest, A. Th. 915 (lyr.), cf. Eu. 368 (lyr.); καὶ μ. δοκοῦντας φρονίμους εἶναι X. Cyr. 6.1.36; μ. πολιορκούμενοι Id. HG 7.1.25.

2. strengthening an assertion, νῦν σε μ. χρὴ αἰχμητὴν ἔμεναι, i.e. now or never, Il. 16.492; τῷ κε μάλ' ἤ κεν μεῖνε.. then doubtless he would have stayed, Od. 4.733; σοὶ δὲ μάλ' ἕψομ' ἐγώ yes indeed.., Il. 10.108; ἀλλὰ μάλ' ὤφελλες why plainly.., Od. 4.472: freq. with another word, as ἦ μ. δή.. now in very truth, Il. 5.422, etc.; ἦ δή που μ. 21.583; freq. ἦ μ. (without δή) 3.204, etc.

3. in Hom. sts. after εἰ, as εἰ μ. μιν χόλος ἵκοι if wrath come on him ever so much, Il. 17.399, cf. Od. 5.485, al.; καὶ εἰ μ. τις πολεμίζοι Il. 9.318; also μ. περ c. part., μ. περ μεμαώς though desiring never so much, 13.317, cf. 14.58, 17.710, al.; καὶ μ. περ 1.217, cf. 17.571; καὶ εὐρέα περ μάλ' ἐόντα Od. 18.385.

4. in Att. freq. in answers, yes, certainly, μ. γε Pl. R. 555d, 564e, etc.; μ. τοι X. Mem. 1.2.46; καὶ μ. Pl. Phdr. 258c; καὶ μ. γε Id. Tht. 148c, etc.; καὶ μ. δή ib. 177a; καὶ μ. ἐπαύσατο certainly it stopped, Id. Smp. 189a, etc.

II Comp. μᾶλλον [ ᾱ by nature, Hdn.Gr. 2.932 ], Ion. μάλιον [ᾰ] only in Tyrt. 12.6, cf. Choerob.in An.Ox. 2.240; late Dor. μαλλότερον Pempel. ap. Stob. 4.25.52: — more, rather, Il. 5.231, Od. 1.351, al.: mostly folld. by ἤ, but in Prose also by a gen., μ. τοῦ ξυμφέροντος more than is expedient, Antipho 5.1; μ. τοῦ δέοντος Pl. Grg. 487b, X. Mem. 4.3.8 (sts. expressed by μᾶλλον alone, Pl. Phd. 63d); οὐπώποτ' ἔργου μ. εἱλόμην λόγους E. Fr. 394; παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Pl. Lg. 715d (v. infr. 8); in Id. Ap. 36d, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅτι μ. πρέπει οὕτως, ὡς.., ὡς is prob. = ἤ (v. ὡς): denoting a constant increase, more and more, sts. doubled, μ. μ. E. IT 1406, Ar. Ra. 1001 (lyr.), Alex. 29: in positive sense, exceedingly, κηρόθι μ. Il. 9.300, Od. 15.370, al.: —

Usage:

1 freq. strengthened by other words, πολὺ μ. Il. 9.700, etc.; ἔτι μ. 14.97, al.; μ. ἔτ' ἢ τὸ πάροιθεν Od. 1.322; καὶ μ. Il. 8.470; καὶ μ. ἔτι Od. 18.22; ἔτι καὶ μ. Pi. P. 10.57; ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μ. Il. 23.386, 429, Hes. Th. 428; ἐπὶ μ. Hdt. 3.104; ἔτι ἐπὶ μ. Id. 1.94; πολλῷ μ. Pl. Phd. 80e, 1 Corinthians 12:22 : also modified, μᾶλλόν τι somewhat more, μ. τι περιημέκτεε Hdt. 1.114, cf. 50, etc.; μ. ἤδη προσδεχομένου Th. 8.71.

2. sts. with a second Comp., ῥηΐτεροι μ. Il. 24.243, cf. Hdt. 1.32, A. Th. 673, Supp. 279, S. Ant. 1210, E. El. 222, Pl. Phd. 79e, Isa 4.14 (s.v.l.), Arist. Top. 116b24.

3. μᾶλλον δέ much more.., or rather.., to correct a statement already made, ὁ δεσπότης πέπραγεν εὐτυχέστατα, μ. δ' ὁ Πλοῦτος αὐτός Ar. Pl. 634; πολλοί, μ. δὲ πάντες D. 18.65, cf. Pl. Smp. 173e; so ἢ μ. Corn. ND 20, Simp. in Ph. 25.16; οὐχὶ μ. ἤ.. not so, but rather so.., Th. 2.87.

4. μ. δὲ καὶ ἡσυχαίτερα more or less violent, Id. 3.82.

5. οὐδὲν μ. none the more, ib. 79; οὐδέν τι μ. Pl. Phd. 87d; μηδέν τι μ. ἤ.. S. Aj. 280.

6. μ. ἤ.. folld. by οὐ in comparisons, where preference implies rejection or denial, πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἤ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους Th. 3.36: preceded by another neg., Hdt. 4.118, 5.94, 7.16. γ, etc.: by an interrog. which conveys a neg. force, τίδεῖ.. μᾶλλον, ἤ οὐ..; X. HG 6.3.15.

7. τὸ μ. καὶ ἧττον, a form of argument, a fortiori, Arist. Rh. 1397b12.

8. παντὸς μ., v. πᾶς 111.

III

1. Sup. μάλιστα most of all, above all, Hom., etc.; πᾶσι, μάλιστα δ' ἐμοί Od. 21.353; μ. μὲν.., ἔπειτα or ἔπειτα δέ.., first and above all.., next.., S. OT 647, cf. Ph. 1285; μ. μὲν.., δεύτερον δὲ.. Isaiah 2:20; μ. μὲν.., εἰ δὲ μὴ.. Hdt. 8.22, Th. 1.40, Pl. R. 590d, D. 20.25, etc.; τοῦτο δ' ἐστὶ μ. μὲν θάνατος, εἰ δὲ μή, πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἀφελέσθαι Id. 21.152; μάλιστα μὲν.., μᾶλλον μέντοι.. Pl. Smp. 180b; μάλιστα.., εἰ μὴ δ'.. S. Ph. 617; δοκέων μιν μ. ταύτης ἂν πείθεσθαι certainly, Hdt. 3.53; τί μ.; what precisely ? Pl. Grg. 448d, cf. Men. 80b, Smp. 218c: c. gen. partit., μ. πάντων Hdt. 2.37, Pl. Prt. 327a, cf. Th. 4.86; τὸ μ. πάντων the supreme reality, Plot. 5.5.11; τὸ μ. εἶναι the highest degree of being, Id. 6.2.7. 1 strengthd., ὡς μ. certainly, A. Supp. 294, Pl. R. 460a, etc.; ὅσον μ. A. Pr. 524; ὅσα ἐδύνατο μ. Hdt. 1.185; ὡς δύναμαι μ. Pl. R. 367b; ὡς οἷόν τε μ. Id. Grg. 510b; εἰς ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν μ. Id. Phdr. 277a; ὅτι μ. δύνασαι Id. Sph. 239b; μακρῷ μ. Hdt. 1.171; πολλῷ μ. Paus. 1.42.3; παντὸς μ. D.H. 3.35, etc.

2. with the Art., ἐς τὰ μ. in the highest degree, Hdt. 1.20, 2.76, Th. 6.104, 8.6, D. 21.212: without ἐς, φίλοι τὰ μ. Hdt. 2.147, cf. Th. 1.92, D. 21.62; τά γε μ. Pl. Lg. 794d; εἰ τὰ μ. ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς if they were ever so true, D. 18.95; εἰ τὰ μ. μὴ τινές, ἀλλὰ πάντες.. if (to put an extreme case) not some, but all.., Id. 20.2; εἰ.. δοκοίη τὰ μ. Id. 18.21; ἀνὴρ δόκιμος ὁμοῖα τῷ μ. as famous as he that is most [famous], Hdt. 7.118, cf. 3.8; τοῖς μάλισθ' ὁμοίως D. 2.24. ἐν τοῖς μ. especially, as much as any, Th. 8.90, Pl. Smp. 173b, etc.: with a Sup., ἐν τοῖς μ. ὠμότατος Ael. VH 14.40; φιλτάτη καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτη ἐν τοῖς μ. Procop. Arc. 4.

3. added to a Sup. (v. μάλα 11.2, πλεῖστον), ἔχθιστος μ., μ. φίλτατος, Il. 2.220, 24.334; μ. κῃ ἐμφερέστατα Hdt. 2.76; μ. φίλτατος E. Hipp. 1421: to a Comp. (?), μ. δὴ ὀκνηρότεροι ἐγένοντο Th. 4.55.

4. μάλιστα for μᾶλλον, μ. τῆς κόρης E. IA [1594]; μ. ἤ ἐμοί A.R. 3.91.

5. with numerals, in round numbers, about, Th. 3.29, 92, X. HG 5.2.31, etc.; πεντήκοντα μάλιστα is 49 in Th. 1.118; ἑκατοστὸς μ. 99t h, Id. 8.68; ἐς μέσον μάλιστά κῃ about the middle, Hdt. 1.191, cf. 76; ἥμισυ μ. Th. 1.93; μ. σφᾶς μεσοῦν δειπνοῦντας that they were about the middle of supper, Pl. Smp. 175c; κου μ. Hdt. 7.22; μ. πως Plb. 2.41.13.

6. in answers, most certainly, Ar. Pl. 827, etc.; μ. γε S. OT 994, Ar. Nu. 253; μ. πάντων Id. Av. 1531; πάντων μ. Pl. Grg. 453d; v. supr. 1.4. (Orig. perh. fiercely, cf. μαλερός.)