μάλα
mala
very, exceedingly
Appears 338 times across Plato's dialogues.
Frequency by work
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Dictionary (LSJ)
μάλα [μᾰλᾰ; but sts. uses the ult. long before λ, Il. 3.214, 4.379; before μ, 10.172], Adv. A. very, exceedingly, prefixed or subjoined to Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs: 1. strengthening the word with which it stands, a. with Adjs., in 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., Prm. 126b, Phdr. 230b, etc.: strengthd., μ. δὴ πρεσβύτης very old, Cyr. 8.7.1; μ. γέ τινες ὀλίγοι R. 531e. b. with Advs., πάγχυ μ., μ. πάγχυ, quite utterly, Il. 12.165, 14.143; πάνυ μ. Phd. 80c; εὖ μ. right well, Od. 22.190, Phd. 92d, etc.; μάλα . . εὖ Od. 23.175, cf. 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 Ag. 1345, Ch. 654; μάλʼ αὖ El. 1410, etc.; μ. alone, ἔα, ἔα μ. Ch. 870; οἲ μ. καὶ τόδʼ ἀλγῶ Pers. 1045 (lyr.); εἶα μ. Pax 460sq. (so ἄλλος πύργος . . , καὶ ἕτερος μ. ἐπὶ τούτῳ 1.181, cf. 7.186): freq. after καί, αὗταί σʼ ὁδηγήσουσι καὶ μάλʼ ἀσμένως Pr. 728, cf. Ch. 879: with neg., μάλʼ οὐ, μάλʼ οὔ πως, Il. 2.241, Od. 5.103; οὐ μ. 1.93, 2.37, Ph. 676 (lyr.). c. with Verbs, μήτʼ ἄρ με μάλʼ αἴνεε Il. 10.249; μ. τʼ ἔκλυον αὐτοῦ 1.218; ἡ δὲ μάλʼ ἡνιόχευεν drove carefully, Od. 6.319; μ . . . προπέμπει in earnest, Th. 915 (lyr.), cf. Eu. 368 (lyr.); καὶ μ. δοκοῦντας φρονίμους εἶναι Cyr. 6.1.36; μ. πολιορκούμενοι HG 7.1.25. 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 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. 4. in Att. freq. in answers, yes, certainly, μ. γε R. 555d, 564e, etc.; μ. τοι Mem. 1.2.46; καὶ μ. Phdr. 258c; καὶ μ. γε Tht. 148c, etc.; καὶ μ. δή ib.177a; καὶ μ. ἐπαύσατο certainly it stopped, Smp. 189a, etc. II. Comp. μᾶλλον [ᾱ by nature, Hdn.Gr.2.932], Ion. μάλιον [ᾰ] only in 12.6, cf. Choerob. in An.Ox. 2.240; late Dor. μαλλότερον ap. 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, 5.1; μ. τοῦ δέοντος Grg. 487b, Mem. 4.3.8 (sts. expressed by μᾶλλον alone, Phd. 63d); οὐπώποτʼ ἔργου μ. εἱλόμην λόγους Fr. 394; παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Lg. 715d (v. infr. 8); in 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. IT 1406, Ra. 1001 (lyr.), 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. P. 10.57; ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μ. Il. 23.386, 429, Th. 428; ἐπὶ μ. 3.104; ἔτι ἐπὶ μ. 1.94; πολλῷ μ. Phd. 80e, 1 Ep.Cor. 12.22: also modified, μᾶλλόν τι somewhat more, μ. τι περιημέκτεε 1.114, cf.50, etc.; μ. ἤδη προσδεχομένου 8.71. 2. sts. with a second Comp., ῥηΐτεροι μ. Il. 24.243, cf. 1.32, Th. 673, Supp. 279, Ant. 1210, El. 222, Phd. 79e, 4.14 (s.v.l.), Top. 116b24. 3. μᾶλλον δέ much more . . , or rather . . , to correct a statement already made, ὁ δεσπότης πέπραγεν εὐτυχέστατα, μ. δʼ ὁ Πλοῦτος αὐτός Pl. 634; πολλοί, μ. δὲ πάντες 18.65, cf. Smp. 173e; so ἢ μ. ND 20, in Ph. 25.16; οὐχὶ μ. ἤ . . not so, but rather so . . , 2.87. 4. μ. δὲ καὶ ἡσυχαίτερα more or less violent, 3.82. 5. οὐδὲν μ. none the more, ib.79; οὐδέν τι μ. Phd. 87d; μηδέν τι μ. ἤ . . Aj. 280. 6. μ. ἤ . . folld. by οὐ in comparisons, where preference implies rejection or denial, πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἤ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους 3.36: preceded by another neg., 4.118, 5.94, 7.16. γ, etc.: by an interrog. which conveys a neg. force, τίδεῖ . . μᾶλλον, ἤ οὐ . . ; HG 6.3.15. 7. τὸ μ. καὶ ἧττον, a form of argument, a fortiori, Rh. 1397b12. 8. παντὸς μ., v. πᾶς III.4. III. Sup. μάλιστα most of all, above all, , etc.; πᾶσι, μάλιστα δʼ ἐμοί Od. 21.353; μ. μὲν . . , ἔπειτα or ἔπειτα δέ . . , first and above all . . , next . . , OT 647, cf. Ph. 1285; μ. μὲν . . , δεύτερον δὲ . . 2.20; μ. μὲν . . , εἰ δὲ μὴ . . 8.22, 1.40, R. 590d, 20.25, etc.; τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ μ. μὲν θάνατος, εἰ δὲ μή, πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἀφελέσθαι 21.152; μάλιστα μὲν . . , μᾶλλον μέντοι . . Smp. 180b; μάλιστα . . , εἰ μὴ δʼ . . Ph. 617; δοκέων μιν μ. ταύτης ἂν πείθεσθαι certainly, 3.53; τί μ.; what precisely? Grg. 448d, cf. Men. 80b, Smp. 218c: c. gen. partit., μ. πάντων 2.37, Prt. 327a, cf. 4.86; τὸ μ. πάντων the supreme reality, 5.5.11; τὸ μ. εἶναι the highest degree of being, 6.2.7. 1. strengthd., ὡς μ. certainly, Supp. 294, R. 460a, etc.; ὅσον μ. Pr. 524; ὅσα ἐδύνατο μ. 1.185; ὡς δύναμαι μ. R. 367b; ὡς οἷόν τε μ. Grg. 510b; εἰς ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν μ. Phdr. 277a; ὅτι μ. δύνασαι Sph. 239b; μακρῷ μ. 1.171; πολλῷ μ. 1.42.3; παντὸς μ. 3.35, etc. 2. with the Art., ἐς τὰ μ. in the highest degree, 1.20, 2.76, 6.104, 8.6, 21.212: without ἐς, φίλοι τὰ μ. 2.147, cf. 1.92, 21.62; τά γε μ. Lg. 794d; εἰ τὰ μ. ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς if they were ever so true, 18.95; εἰ τὰ μ. μὴ τινές, ἀλλὰ πάντες . . if (to put an extreme case) not some, but all . . , 20.2; εἰ . . δοκοίη τὰ μ. 18.21; ἀνὴρ δόκιμος ὁμοῖα τῷ μ. as famous as he that is most [famous], 7.118, cf. 3.8; τοῖς μάλισθʼ ὁμοίως Ep. 2.24. b. ἐν τοῖς μ. especially, as much as any, 8.90, Smp. 173b, etc.: with a Sup., ἐν τοῖς μ. ὠμότατος VH 14.40; φιλτάτη καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτη ἐν τοῖς μ. Arc. 4. 3. added to a Sup. (v. μάλα II.2, πλεῖστον) , ἔχθιστος μ., μ. φίλτατος, Il. 2.220, 24.334; μ. κῃ ἐμφερέστατα 2.76; μ. φίλτατος Hipp. 1421: to a Comp. (?), μ. δὴ ὀκνηρότεροι ἐγένοντο 4.55. 4. μάλιστα for μᾶλλον, μ. τῆς κόρης IA[1594]; μ. ἤ ἐμοί 3.91. 5. with numerals, in round numbers, about, 3.29, 92, HG 5.2.31, etc.; πεντήκοντα μάλιστα is 49 in 1.118; ἑκατοστὸς μ. 99th, 8.68; ἐς μέσον μάλιστά κῃ about the middle, 1.191, cf. 76; ἥμισυ μ. 1.93; μ. σφᾶς μεσοῦν δειπνοῦντας that they were about the middle of supper, Smp. 175c; κου μ. 7.22; μ. πως 2.41.13. 6. in answers, most certainly, Pl. 827, etc.; μ. γε OT 994, Nu. 253; μ. πάντων Av. 1531; πάντων μ. Grg. 453d; v. supr.1.4. (Orig. perh. fiercely, cf. μαλερός.)
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