σπᾰν-ιος, α, ον
(also ος, ον [[ 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Historia Animalium” 608b21, 4th-3rd c.BC: Theophrastus Philosophus “de Lapidibus” 3, 2nd c.BC: Polybius Historicus 4.16.3, etc.)] Refs 4th c.BC+], of persons and things, rare, scarce, scanty, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.67, 5.29, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; σ. θήρευμα.. λαβεῖν a rare catch, [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Iphigenia Aulidensis” 1162 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; of persons, rarely seen, aloof, δυσπρόσιτος, ἔσω τε κλῄθρων σπάνιος [[[prev. work] 345 (troch.)] Refs]; σ. σεαυτὸν παρέχειν [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Euthyphro” 3d, compare 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Crassus” 7 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τῷ ὕδατι σ. χρώμενοι having a scanty supply of water, [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 7.4 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; in an adverb sense, σπάνιος ἐπιφοιτᾷ he seldom visits, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 2.73 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; so τοὺς σπανίους ἰδεῖν στρατηγούς seldom seen, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 7.5.46, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 953c; σπάνιοι περιπεπλεύκασι 1st c.BC-1st c.AD: Strabo Geographus 15.1.4 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; σπάνιόν ἐστι, with infinitive, it is seldom that.., [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 1.3.3, 5th-6th c.BC: Isocrates Orator 10.13 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ῥᾴδιον, [[ 4th c.BC: Archytas Tarentinus Philosophus 3 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; σπάνιον εἴ τις.. it is rare for one to.., [[ 1st c.BC-1st c.AD: Strabo Geographus 7.3.4: τὸ σ. 4th c.BC: Aeschines Orator 3.180, 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Meteorologica” 372a23; ὁ ταὧς διὰ τὸ σ. θαυμάζεται 4th c.BC: Eubulus Comicus 114. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__II comparative σπανιώτερος [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 8.25, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 1.33, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]: superlative -ώτατος[[ [prev. author] 7.68, “Lyrica Adespota” 138.1, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Cratylus” 389a, etc. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]