little, small,
ὀλίγος [ῐ],η,ον, laterὀλίος(q.v.), of Size,
A. little, small,freq. in Hom. , rarer later, opp. μέγας, σάκος
Il. 14.376
; κῦμα
Od. 10.94
, etc. ;ὀλίγῃ ὀπίwithsmall, lowvoice, 14.492 ; of stature, 9.515 ; ὀ. κῶρος
Theoc. 1.47
; οὐκ ὀλίγης αἷμα βοὸς κέχυται
Call. Aet.Oxy. 2080.85
; of Space, ὀ. χῶρος
Il. 10.161
, etc. ; of Time, χρόνος
19.157
, 23.418 , Pi. N. 7.38 , etc. ; ἐν βραχεῖ κὠλίγῳ χρόνῳ
S. Fr. 646
(cf. IV. 3 ).
2. sts. in a sense between that of Size and Quantity, ὀ. δόσις
Od. 6.208
; οὖρα ὀλίγα not copious,
Hp. Epid. 1.2
;ὑποστάσιες ὀλίγαι slightsediments, ib. 17 ;ὀ. καὶ οὐδέν littleor nothing, Pl. Ap. 23a ; οὐδὲν ἢ ὀ.
Arist. PA 651b17
.
3. of Degree,ὀ. καὶ μέγας of lowand highdegree,
Callin. 1.17 .
4. weak,
ἀθυμοτέρη καὶ ὀλιγωτέρη φύσις
Hp. Virg. 1
.
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 κακά
A. Pers. 330
.—The governing body in Oligarchies and the oligarchical party in Democracies was calledοἱ ὀ.,
Th. 6.38 , 8.9 , etc. ;ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν ὀ. δυναστεία, αἱ διὰ τῶν ὀ. δυναστεῖαι,
Pl. Plt. 291d , D. 60.25 ; ἑνὸς καὶ πλήθους τὸ ὀ. μέσον
Pl. Plt. 303a
.
2. c.inf.,ὀλίγους . . στρατιῇ τῇ Μήδων συμβαλεῖν too fewto engage . . , Hdt. 6.109 , cf. 7.207 ; μὴ . . αἱ σφέτεραι δέκα νῆες ὀλίγαι ἀμύνειν ὦσιν
Th. 1.50
.
III. neut.ὀλίγονasAdv.,a little, slightly, little,with Verbs, ὀ. παρακλίνας
Il. 23.424
, cf. 11.52 , 12.452 ; φροντίσας
E. Cyc. 163
; ὀ. τοῦ ποιήματος προελθών
Pl. Prt. 339d
: also neut. pl., ἠκροβολίσαντο ὀλίγα
Th. 3.73
.
2. with comp. Adjs., ὀλίγον προγενέστερος
Il. 23.789
; ὀ. ἧσσον
Od. 15.365
; στιβαρώτερον οὐκ ὀ. περ
8.187
; φέρτερος οὐκ ὀ. περ
Il. 19.217
;ὀ. τι πρότερον,
v.l. for ὀλίγῳ , Hdt. 4.79 , 81 , cf. Pl. Plt. 262b , etc. ; ὀ. ὕστερον
Id. Grg. 454b
, etc. ; butὀλίγῳis more freq. in Prose, Hdt. ll.cc. (with v.l.), 7.113 , al., Pl. Grg. 460c , R. 327c , etc.
IV. special Phrases:
1. ὀλίγου δεῖν almost(v.δεῖII);ὀλίγου ἐδέησε καταλαβεῖνwantedbut littleof overtaking, Hdt. 7.10 .γ': henceὀλίγουalone,within a little, allbut, almost,
ὀλίγου σεκύνες διεδηλήσαντο
Od. 14.37
, cf. Ar. Ach. 348 , 381 , Nu. 722 , Lys. 14.17 , Pl. Prt. 361b , D. 19.334 , etc. ; ὀ. ἅπαντες
Pl. Ap. 22b
; ὀ. ἐς χιλίους close upon
1
, 000 , Th. 4.124 ;ὀ. ἦλθεν ἑλεῖν(v. infr. 9 ) Paus. 1.13.6 .
2.
δι' ὀλίγου at 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 aftera short time,
Id. 6.11 , 47 , 7.39 , etc. ; but
b.
δι' ὀλίγων in few words,
Pl. Phlb. 31d
, etc. ;v.infr. VI. 2 .
3. ἐν ὀλίγῳ(χώρῳis added in Hdt. 9.70 )in a small space, within small compass,
E. Supp. 1126 (lyr.) ; ἐν ὀ. στρατοπεδευομένοις
Th. 4.26
;κυκλωθέντων ἐν ὀ.ib. 96 ; εἰς ταὐτὸ πάντα . . ἁθροίσαντ' ἐν ὀ.
D. 3.18
; alsoἐν ὀ.(sc.χρόνῳ)for a brief time,
Pi. P. 8.92 ; but also,in a short time, quickly,
ἔγνων καὶ περὶ τῶν ποιητῶν ἐν ὀ. τοῦτο
Pl. Ap. 22b
, cf. Th. 4.55 , Act.Ap. 26.28 .
b. ἐν ὀλίγοις one among few,i.e.exceedingly, remarkably,
ποταμὸς ἐν ὀ. μέγας
Hdt. 4.52
; ἐν ὀλίγοισι Περσέων . . ἀνὴρ δόκιμος
Id. 9.41
: freq. in later writers, Plu. Pomp. 10 , Hld. 3.1 ; soσὺν ὀλίγοις, v.infr. 10 .
4. ἐξ ὀλίγου at short notice, suddenly,
ἐξ ὀ. καὶ δι' ὀργῆς
Th. 2.11
, cf. 61 , 4.108 , etc.
5. ἐς ὀλίγον,
like παρ' ὀλίγον ,within a little, ἐς ὀ. ἀφίκετο τὸ στράτευμα νικηθῆναιib. 129 .
6.
ἐπ' ὀλίγον for 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. VC 18 ; εἴρηται ἐν τῷ [βιβλίῳ] ἐπ' ὀλίγον a little way on, near the beginning,
Gal. 15.428
.
7.
κατ' ὀλίγον by little and little,
Th. 1.69
, Pl. Ti. 85d , Luc. Nec. 11 , etc. ; ἐκ τοῦ κατ' ὀ.
D.S. 15.34
, Ath.Med. ap. Orib. 1.2.6 : but theAdj.freq. takes the gender and number of itsSubst., κατ' ὀλίγους
Hdt. 2.93
, 8.113 ;οὗτοι κατ' ὀλίγους γινόμενοι ἐμάχοντοfoughtfew 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 τούτων shortly after . . ,
X. HG 1.1.2
.
9. παρ' ὀλίγον with little to spare, only just,
ἀπέφυγες
E. IT 870
(lyr.) ;to within a short distance of,
παρ' ὀ. ἦλθε . . ἐκπεσεῖν
Plb. 2.55.4
, cf. 18.46.12 ; but
b. παρ' ὀ. ποιεῖσθαιhold ofsmallaccount, X. An. 6.6.11 .
10. σὺν ὀλίγοις,
= ἐν ὀλίγοις, ἐπαινεθῆναι
Plu. Galb. 3 ;v.supr. IV. 3b .
V. regul.Adv. ὀλίγωςis rare, 2 Ep.Pet. 2.18 , Aq. Is. 10.7 ; οὐκ ὀ.
AP 12.205
( Strat. ).
VI. Comparison :
1. the Comp. is commonly supplied byμείων, ἥσσων,orἐλάσσων(qq.v.) ; the older formὀλείζων(fr.Ὀλειγ-ψων) is found in Hom. ,λαοὶ δ' ὑπ' ὀλείζονες ἦσαν(ὑπολίζονεςcodd.) Il. 18.519 ; so in Att. Inscrr., IG 12.76.8 (writtenὄλεζονib. 63.17 , al.) ;τοῖσι . . ὀλείζοσι μυστηρίοισινib. 6.76 , cf. 95 ;ὀλείζουςis prob. in X. Ath. 2.1 (μείζουςcodd.) ; so in Alexandrian Poets, Call. Jov. 72 (ὀλίζοσιcodd.), AP 9.521 ;ἐς ὀλίζονας ἀστέρας ἄρκτουPoet. ap. Theodos. in HilgardExc.exHdn.
p.19 ; also ὀλίζωνες
Nic. Th. 123
,ὀλίζωναib. 372 ;ὀλιζότεροςis found in Id. Al. 479 , Opp. C. 3.65 , 394 , cf.ὀλιζόω ; ὀλιγώτεροςis found in Hp. Virg. I (with the senseweaker, v.supr. 1.4 ), S.E. M. 1.70 , App. Pun. 42 , Mith. 24 , Ael. NA 2.42 , 6.51 .
2.
Sup.
ὀλίγιστος,η,ον,always of Number or Quantity, Il. 19.223 , Hes. Op. 723 , IG 12.54.7 , Ar. Ra. 115 , Pl. 628 , Pl. R. 473b , al. ;ὀλιγίστου,
Sup. of
ὀλίγου(cf. IV. I),very nearly,
Phot. , Hsch. (ubiὀλιγωστοῦ) ;ὀλίγιστονasAdv.,least, very little,
Pl. R. 587b ; τὸ ὀ. at least,
Id. Prm. 149a
; ὡς ὀλίγιστα
Id. Grg. 510a
, Lg. 953a ( v.l. ὀλιγοστά ) ; ἐν ὀλιγίστῳ διασαφῶν
Eust. 1262.54
; so δι' ὀλιγίστων
Pl. Ep. 351d
(interpol.). (Aspirated in papyri of ii-iii A.D., as μεθ' ὁλίγον
BGU 388.11
, cf. 146.10 .)
