πλεῖστος, η, ον,
superlative of πολύς, most, greatest, largest, in number, size, extent, etc., π. ὅμιλος, λαός, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 15.616, 16.377, etc.; π. κακόν 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 4.697; πλεῖστοι ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων 8th-7th c.BC: Hesiodus Epicus “Fragmenta” 33.1; π. εὐκλείας γέρας 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 478; φιλοσοφία παλαιοτάτη τε καὶ πλείστη ] Refs 8th c.BC+]most in vogue, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Protagoras” 342a; π. τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν φῦλον τὸ Ἀρκαδικόν 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Historia Graeca (Hellenica)” 7.1.23, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τῇ γνώμῃ πλεῖστός εἰμι, ἡ π. γνώμη, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 7.220 (assuming variant), 5.126 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; πλεῖστον σχήσειν, as superlative of πλέον ἔχειν (see. πλείων), [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 7.36. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__2 with Article, οἱ π. the greatest number, [[ [prev. author] 4.90, etc.] Refs]; τὸ π. τοῦ βίου the greatest part of.., [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 718a, etc. (also same gender as the foll. Noun, ὁ π. τοῦ βίου, ἡ π. τῆς στρατιᾶς, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 1.5, 7.3); τῇ ὄψει τοῦ θαρσεῖν τὸ π. εἰληφότες [prev. author] 4.34; τῷ πλούτῳ διδοὺς τὸ π. 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Supplices” 408. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II Special usages: with relative, ὅσας ἂν πλείστας δύνωνται καταστρέφεσθαι subdue the greatest number that they possibly could, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 6.44; ὡς ἂν δύνωνται πλεῖστα “IG” 12.98.4, compare 109.10, 113.37; ὁπόσσω κα πλείστω ἄξιος ᾖ “Berl.Sitzb.” 1927.160 (from Cyrene)] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὅς κα πλεῖστον διδῷ ἀποδόμενοι [[ “Leg.Gort.” 5.48; ὡς π. χρόνον 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Gorgias” 481b; ὅτι π. 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 6.64, etc.: coupled with εἷς (which see), εἷς ἀνὴρ π. πόνον ἐχθροῖς παρασχών 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Persae” 327: in comparative sense, πλείστον ἄξια ἢ ὥς τις οἴεται 5th c.BC: Hippocrates Medicus “περὶ ἄρθρων ἐμβολῆς” 57 (but πλεῖστα ἤ is corrupt in 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.35). ] Refs 5th c.BC+]