LogeionPerseus analysis of μάλιστα:
μάλιστα (very, exceedingly): indeclform (adverb)
LSJ entry
μάλα
μάλα [
μᾰλᾰ;
but Hom. sts. uses the ult. long before λ,
Il. 3.214,
4.379;
before μ,
10.172],
Adv. a. 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.; μάλʼ 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 μάλʼ 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.
b. 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;
μάλʼ αὐτίκα (v. αὐτίκα)
; μάλʼ αἰεί for ever and aye, Il. 13.557,
23.717;
ἄχρι μ. κνέφαος until quite dark, Od. 18.370;
μάλʼ ὧδε just in this way, 6.258;
μ. διαμπερές right through, Il. 20.362;
μ. μόλις (v. μόλις);
to express repeated action, μάλʼ αὖθις A. Ag. 1345,
Ch. 654;
μάλʼ αὖ S. El. 1410,
etc.; μ. alone, ἔα, ἔα μ. A. Ch. 870;
οἲ μ. καὶ τόδʼ ἀλγῶ Id. Pers. 1045 (lyr.); εἶα μ. Ar. Pax 460sq. (so ἄλλος πύργος . . , καὶ ἕτερος μ. ἐπὶ τούτῳ Hdt. 1.181,
cf. 7.186):
freq. after καί, αὗταί σʼ ὁδηγήσουσι καὶ μάλʼ ἀσμένως A. Pr. 728,
cf. Ch. 879:
with neg., μάλʼ οὐ, μάλʼ οὔ πως,
Il. 2.241,
Od. 5.103;
οὐ μ. Hdt. 1.93,
2.37,
S. Ph. 676 (lyr.). 2. strengthening an assertion, νῦν σε μ. χρὴ αἰχμητὴν ἔμεναι,
i.e. now or never,
Il. 16.492;
τῷ κε μάλʼ ἤ κεν μεῖνε . .
then doubtless he would have stayed, Od. 4.733;
σοὶ δὲ μάλʼ ἕψομʼ ἐγώ yes indeed . . ,
Il. 10.108;
ἀλλὰ μάλʼ 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 μάλʼ ἐόντα Od. 18.385.
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);
οὐπώποτʼ ἔργου μ. εἱλόμην λόγους E. Fr. 394;
παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Pl. Lg. 715d (v. infr. 8);
in Id. Ap. 36d,
οὐκ ἔσθʼ 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. ἔτʼ 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 Ep.Cor. 12.22:
also modified, μᾶλλόν τι somewhat more,
μ. τι περιημέκτεε Hdt. 1.114,
cf.50,
etc.; μ. ἤδη προσδεχομένου Th. 8.71.
III. Sup. μάλιστα most of all, above all,
Hom.,
etc.; πᾶσι, μάλιστα δʼ 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 . .
Is. 2.20;
μ. μὲν . . , εἰ δὲ μὴ . .
Hdt. 8.22,
Th. 1.40,
Pl. R. 590d,
D. 20.25,
etc.; τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ μ. μὲν θάνατος, εἰ δὲ μή, πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἀφελέσθαι Id. 21.152;
μάλιστα μὲν . . , μᾶλλον μέντοι . .
Pl. Smp. 180b;
μάλιστα . . , εἰ μὴ δʼ . .
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.
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 μάλισθʼ ὁμοίως D. Ep. 2.24.
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. 99th, 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.