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κρείσσων

kreisson

stronger, mightier

Appears 136 times across Plato's dialogues.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

κρείσσων, ον, gen. ονος, as always in Ep. and old Att.; later Att. κρείττων; Ion. κρέσσων Hp. Fract. 3, al., v.l. in Dionys.Trag. (v. infr. II); Dor. κάρρων (q.v.); Cret. κάρτων Leg.Gort. 1.15:—Comp. of κρατύς (v. κράτιστος), A. stronger, mightier, κ. βασιλεύς, ὅτε χώσεται ἀνδρὶ χέρηϊ Il. 1.80; esp. in battle, κρείσσοσιν ἶφι μάχεσθαι 21.486; Διὸς κ. νόος ἠέ περ ἀνδρῶν 16.688; κεραυνοῦ κρέσσον . . βέλος Pi. I. 8(7).36, cf. Hdt. 7.172, Hp.l.c., etc.; κρείσσων χεῖρας Antipho 4.4.7; τὸ τοῦ κ. συμφέρον Pl. R. 338c, cf. Democr. 267: hence, having the upper hand, superior, ὁππότερος δέ κε νικήσῃ κ. τε γένηται Il. 3.71; κ. ἀρετῇ τε βίῃ τε 23.578: as Law-term, of witnesses, κάρτονανς ἦμεν prevail, Leg.Gort.l.c. 2. freq. as Comp. of ἀγαθός, better, κρέσσονες oneʼs betters, esp. in point of rank, Pi. O. 10(11).39, N. 10.72 (but also, the stronger, more powerful, E. Or. 710, Th. 1.8, etc.); ἐς τοὺς τοκέας καὶ ἐς τοὺς κρέσσονας τεθυμῶσθαι Hdt. 3.52, cf. SIG 685.134 (Magn. Mae., ii B. C.); οἱ κ. corps of guards at Thebes, Plu. 2.598e; κρείσσονες θεοί, of the greater gods, as opp. to Oceanus, A. Pr. 902 (lyr.); ὁ κ. Ζεύς Id. Ag. 60 (anap.); οἱ κ. the Higher Powers, Id. Fr. 10, Pl. Sph. 216b, Euthd. 291a, etc.; τὰ κρείσσω, = τὰ θεῖα, E. Ion 973; τὸ κ. the Almighty, Providence, Corp.Herm. 18.11, Jul. Ep. 204, Agath. 1.16, Procop.Gaz. Pan.p.492; τὰ κρείσσονα oneʼs advantages, τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἡμῖν κρείσσω καταπροδοῦναι Th. 4.10. 3. c. inf., οὔ τις ἐμεῖο κρείσσων . . δόμεναι no one has a better right to . . , Od. 21.345; οὐκ ἄλλος κ. παραμυθεῖσθαι Pl. Plt. 268b; κρεῖσσόν ἐστι c. inf., ʼtis better to . . , κ. γάρ ἐστιν εἰσάπαξ θανεῖν ἢ . . πάσχειν κακῶς A. Pr. 750, cf. 624, Hdt. 3.52, etc.; τὸ μὴ εἶναι κ. ἢ τὸ ζῆν κακῶς S. Fr. 488, cf. Apollod.Com. 6; also κρείσσων εἰμί c. part., κ. γὰρ ἦσθα μηκέτʼ ὢν ἢ ζῶν τυφλός thou wert better not alive, than living blind, S. OT 1368, cf. Aj. 635 (lyr.); κ. ἦν ὁ ἀγὼν μὴ γεγενημένος Aeschin. 1.192, cf. D.H. 6.9. II. c. gen. or ἤ, too great for, surpassing, beyond, ὕψος κ. ἐκπηδήματος A. Ag. 1376; of evil deeds, κρείσσονʼ ἀγχόνης too bad for hanging, S. OT 1374; κρεῖσσον δεργμάτων too bad to look on, E. Hipp. 1217; θαυμάτων Id. Ba. 667; λέγετι σιγῆς κρεῖσσον (κρέσσον PSI 9.1093) ἢ σιγὴν ἔχε Dionys.Trag. 6; κρείσσονʼ ἢ λέξαι λόγῳ τολμήματα E. Supp. 844; κ. ἢ λόγοισιν (sc. εἰπεῖν) Id. IT 837; ἀναρχία κ. πυρός Id. Hec. 608; πρᾶγμα ἐλπίδος κ. γεγενημένον worse than one expected, Th. 2.64; κ. λόγου τὸ κάλλος X. Mem. 3.11.1; κ. τῆς ἡμετέρας δυνάμεως Id. Cyr. 7.5.9. III. having control over, master of, esp. of desires and passions, τῶν ἡδονῶν Democr. 214; τοῦ ἔρωτος X. Cyr. 6.1.34; γαστρὸς καὶ κερδέων ib.4.2.45; αὑτῶν over themselves, Pl. Phdr. 232a, al.; κ. χρημάτων superior to the influence of money, Th. 2.60, Isoc. 1.19; τῶν συμμάχων κ. X. Ath. 2.1; also, putting oneself above, κ. τοῦ δικαίου Th. 3.84; κρείσσους ὄντες . . τῷ λογισμῷ ἐς τὸ ἀνέλπιστον τοῦ βεβαίου having reasoned themselves into an absolute belief of the hopelessness of certainty, ib.83; φαύλους καὶ κρείττους τῆς παιδείας, = οὓς παιδευθῆναι ἀδύνατον (just below), Arist. Pol. 1316a9. IV. better, more excellent, ἁρμονίη ἀφανὴς φανερῆς κ. Heraclit. 54; κ. ἐπʼ ἀρετήν Democr. 181; ὁ κρείττων λόγος (opp. ὁ ἥσσων) Ar. Nu. 113; κατὰ τὸ κ. in a higher sense, opp. κατὰ τὸ χεῖρον, Dam. Pr. 7. V. Adv. κρεισσόνως Antipho 4.4.6, Iamb. Myst. 7.4; also κρεῖσσον S. OT 176 (lyr.), OGI 90.31 (Rosetta, ii B. C.). (κρέσσων from κρέτ-yων, cf. κρέτος; κάρτων and κάρρων from κάρτ-yων, cf. κάρτος; κρείσσων (like μείζων) prob. took ει from ὀλείζων.)
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