ὀλίγοσ, sup. ὀλίγιστοσ: little, small; of a short time (ὀλίγος χρόνοσ), a thin voice (ὀλίγῃ ὀπί), a feeblyflowing spring (πῖ́δακος ὀλίγησ), littlefishes (ὀλίγοι ἰχθύεσ). Neut. as adv., ὀλίγον, a little, also ὀλίγου, almost, Od. 14.37. Sup., Il. 19.223, scanty shall be the reaping.
freq. in Hom., rarer later, opp. μέγας, σάκοσIl.14.376; κῦμαOd.10.94, etc.; ὀλίγῃ ὀπί with
small, low
voice, 14.492; of stature, 9.515; ὀ. κῶροσTheoc.1.47; οὐκ ὀλίγης αἷμα βοὸς κέχυταιCall.Aet.Oxy.2080.85; of Space, ὀ. χῶροσIl.10.161, etc.; of Time, χρόνοσ 19.157,23.418, Pi.N.7.38, etc.; ἐν βραχεῖ κὠλίγῳ χρόνῳS.Fr.646 (cf. IV. 3). 2. sts. in a sense between that of Size and Quantity, ὀ. δόσισOd.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.PA651b17. 3. of Degree, ὀ. καὶ μέγασ
of low
and high
degree,
Callin.1.17. 4.
weak,
ἀθυμοτέρη καὶ ὀλιγωτέρη φύσισHp.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 κακάA.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. μέσονPl.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 ὦσινTh.1.50. III. neut. ὀλίγον as Adv.,
a little, slightly, little,
with Verbs, ὀ. παρακλίνασIl.23.424, cf. 11.52, 12.452; φροντίσασE.Cyc.163; ὀ. τοῦ ποιήματος προελθώνPl.Prt.339d: also neut. pl., ἠκροβολίσαντο ὀλίγαTh.3.73. 2. with comp. Adjs., ὀλίγον προγενέστεροσIl.23.789; ὀ. ἧσσονOd.15.365; στιβαρώτερον οὐκ ὀ. περ 8.187; φέρτερος οὐκ ὀ. περIl.19.217; ὀ. τι πρότερον, v.l. for ὀλίγῳ, Hdt.4.79,81, cf. Pl.Plt.262b, etc.; ὀ. ὕστερονId.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
Th.1.69, Pl.Ti.85d, Luc.Nec.11, etc.; ἐκ τοῦ κατ' ὀ.D.S.15.34, Ath.Med. ap. Orib.1.2.6: but the Adj.freq. takes the gender and number of its Subst., κατ' ὀλίγουσHdt.2.93, 8.113; οὗτοι κατ' ὀλίγους γινόμενοι ἐμάχοντο fought
παρ' ὀ. ἦλθε ..ἐκπεσεῖνPlb. 2.55.4, cf. 18.46.12; but b.παρ' ὀ. ποιεῖσθαι hold of
small
account, X.An.6.6.11. 10.σὺν ὀλίγοις, = ἐν ὀλίγοις, ἐπαινεθῆναιPlu.Galb.3; v. supr. IV.3b. V. regul. Adv.ὀλίγωσ is rare, 2 Ep.Pet.2.18, Aq.Is.10.7; οὐκ ὀ.AP12.205(Strat.). VI. Comparison: 1. the Comp. is commonly supplied by μείων, ἥσσων, or ἐλάσσων (qq.v.); the older form ὀλείζων (fr. ὀλειγ-ψων) is found in Hom., λαοὶ δ' ὑπ' ὀλείζονες ἦσαν (ὑπολίζονεσ codd.) Il.18.519; so in Att. Inscrr., IG12.76.8 (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.), AP9.521; ἐς ὀλίζονας ἀστέρας ἄρκτου Poet. ap. Theodos. in Hilgard
Exc.exHdn.
p.19; also ὀλίζωνεσNic.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. 1.4), S.E.M.1.70, App.Pun.42, Mith.24, Ael.NA2.42,6.51. 2. Sup. ὀλίγιστος, η, ον, always of Number or Quantity, Il.19.223, Hes.Op.723, IG12.54.7, 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 ὀλίγισταId.Grg. 510a, Lg.953a (v.l. ὀλιγοστά); ἐν ὀλιγίστῳ διασαφῶνEust.1262.54; so δι' ὀλιγίστωνPl.Ep.351d (interpol.). (Aspirated in papyri of ii-iii A.D., as μεθ' ὁλίγονBGU388.11, cf. 146.10.)