μάτην,
Doric dialect μάτᾱν [μᾰ], adverb in vain, [[ Hymnus in Cererem 308, 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “O.” 1.83, etc.; μὴ πόνει μ. 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 44; βλέποντες ἔβλεπον μ. [prev. work] 447; μ. ἐρεῖν [prev. work] 1007 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; with a Noun, τὸ μ. ἄχθος the fruitless burden, [[ [prev. author] “Ag.” 165 (Lyric poetry)] Refs]; Διὸς μ. ἄκοιτις his bedfellow to no good end, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Trachiniae” 1149: as predicate, μ. ὁ μόχθος 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Choephori” 521. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__2 at random, without reason, οὔ σε μ. τιμῶσι [[ 6th c.BC: Theognis Elegiacus 523; ὅρα μὴ μ. κόμπος ὁ λόγος ᾖ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 7.103, compare 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Supplices” 127; οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον.. τοὺς κακοὺς μ. χρηστοὺς νομίζειν 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 609; ἵνα μὴ μ. θαρρήσῃς 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Theaetetus” 189d ] Refs 6th c.BC+]; ὁ νοσῶν μ., i.e. he that is mad, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 635 (Lyric poetry), compare 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Pax” 95 (_anapaest meter_). ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__3 idly, falsely, λέγοντες εἴτ᾽ ἀληθές, εἴτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ οὖν μ. [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 345; λόγῳ μάτην θνῄσκοντες [prev. author] “El.” 63, compare 1298 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. βέβακεν, of a dream, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 423 (Lyric poetry).—Originally _accusative_ of μάτη, and we find εἰς μάτην in 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Trag.” 28,241, 2nd c.AD: Aristides Rhetor “Orationes” 33(51).3; ἐπὶ μ. “POxy.” 530.8 (2nd c.AD). ] Refs 4th c.BC+]