A. little, small, freq. in Hom., rarer later, opp. μέγας, σάκος Il. 14.376 ; κῦμα Od. 10.94, etc. ; ὀλίγῃ ὀπί with small, low voice, 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 slight sediments, ib.17 ; ὀ. καὶ οὐδέν little or nothing, Pl. Ap. 23a ; οὐδὲν ἢ ὀ. Arist. PA 651b17.

3. of Degree, ὀ. καὶ μέγας of low and high degree, 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 called οἱ 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 few to engage . . , Hdt. 6.109, cf. 7.207 ; μὴ . . αἱ σφέτεραι δέκα νῆες ὀλίγαι ἀμύνειν ὦσιν Th. 1.50.

III. neut. ὀλίγον as Adv., 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. ; but ὀλίγῳ is 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. δεῖ II); ὀλίγου ἐδέησε καταλαβεῖν wanted but little of overtaking, Hdt. 7.10.γʹ : hence ὀλίγου alone, within a little, all but, almost, ὀλίγου σε κύνες 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 1000, Th. 4.124 ; ὀ. ἦλθεν ἑλεῖν (v. infr. 9) Paus. 1.13.6.

2. διʼ 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 after a short time, Id. 6.11,47,7.39, etc. ; but

b. διʼ ὀλίγων in few words, Pl. Phlb. 31d, etc. ; v. infr. VI.2.

3. ἐν ὀλίγῳ (χώρῳ is 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 . . ἁθροίσαντʼ ἐν ὀ. D. 3.18 ; also ἐν 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 ; so σὺν ὀλίγοις, v. infr. 10.

4. ἐξ ὀλίγου at short notice, suddenly, ἐξ ὀ. καὶ διʼ ὀργῆς Th. 2.11, cf. 61,4.108, etc.

5. ἐς ὀλίγον, like παρʼ ὀλίγον, within a little, ἐς ὀ. ἀφίκετο τὸ στράτευμα νικηθῆναι ib.129.

6. ἐπʼ 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] ἐπʼ ὀλίγον a little way on, near the beginning, Gal. 15.428.

7. κατʼ ὀλίγον by little and little, Th. 1.69, Pl. Ti. 85d, Luc. Nec. 11, etc. ; ἐκ τοῦ κατʼ ὀ. D.S. 15.34, Ath.Med. ap. Orib. 1.2.6 : but the Adj.freq. takes the gender and number of its Subst., κατʼ ὀλίγους Hdt. 2.93, 8.113 ; οὗτοι κατʼ ὀλίγους γινόμενοι ἐμάχοντο fought few at a time, in small parties, Id. 9.102, cf. Pl. Tht. 197d ; κατʼ ὀλίγον μαχεῖται (sc. τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν) Th. 4.10.

8. μετʼ ὀλίγον τούτων shortly after . . , X. HG 1.1.2.

9. παρʼ ὀλίγον with little to spare, only just, ἀπέφυγες E. IT 870(lyr.) ; to within a short distance of, παρʼ ὀ. ἦλθε . . ἐκπεσεῖν Plb. 2.55.4, cf. 18.46.12 ; but

b. παρʼ ὀ. ποιεῖσθαι hold of small account, X. An. 6.6.11.

10. σὺν ὀλίγοις, = ἐν ὀλίγοις, ἐπαινεθῆναι Plu. Galb. 3 ; v. supr. IV.3b.

V. regul. Adv. ὀλίγως is rare, 2 Ep.Pet. 2.18, Aq. Is. 10.7 ; οὐκ ὀ. AP 12.205 (Strat.).

VI. Comparison :

1. the Comp. is commonly supplied by μείων, ἥσσων, or ἐλάσσων (qq.v.) ; the older form ὀλείζων (fr. *ὀλειγ-yων) is found in Hom., λαοὶ δʼ ὑπʼ ὀλείζονες ἦσαν (ὑπολίζονες codd.) Il. 18.519 ; so in Att. Inscrr., IG 12.76.8 (written ὄλεζον ib.63.17, al.) ; τοῖσι . . ὀλείζοσι μυστηρίοισιν ib.6.76, cf. 95 ; ὀλείζους is prob. in X. Ath. 2.1 (μείζους codd.) ; so in Alexandrian Poets, Call. Jov. 72 (ὀλίζοσι codd.), AP 9.521 ; ἐς ὀλίζονας ἀστέρας ἄρκτου Poet. ap. Theodos. in Hilgard Exc. ex Hdn.p.19 ; also ὀλίζωνες Nic. Th. 123, ὀλίζωνα ib.372 ; ὀλιζότερος is found in Id. Al. 479, Opp. C. 3.65,394, cf. ὀλιζόω ; ὀλιγώτερος is found in Hp. Virg.I (with the sense weaker, v. supr. I.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. (ubi ὀλιγωστοῦ) ; ὀλίγιστον as Adv., 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 διʼ ὀλιγίστων Pl. Ep. 351d (interpol.). (Aspirated in papyri of ii-iii A.D., as μεθʼ ὁλίγον BGU 388.11, cf. 146.10.)