ταχύς
I. of motion, "quick, swift, fleet", opp. to βραδύς, Hom., etc.; ταχὺς πόδας Il.; ταχὺς θείειν Hom.
II. of thought and purpose, "quick, rapid, hasty", φρονεῖν γὰρ οἱ ταχεῖς οὐκ ἀσφαλεῖς Soph.; c. inf., βλάπτειν τ. Ar.; τὸ ταχύ "speed, haste", Eur.
2. so of actions, events, "quick, rapid, sudden", πήδημα Soph.; πόλεμος Thuc.; τ. ἐλπίδες "fleeting" hopes, Pind.
B. adv.,
1. regul. form τα^χέως, "quickly", Il., attic
2. the adv. is also expressed by periphr., διὰ ταχέων "in haste", Thuc., etc.; ἐκ ταχείας Soph.; cf. τάχος II.
3. neut. ταχύ as adv., id=Soph., etc.; more often τάχα (q. v.).
C. Degrees of Comparison:
I. comp.:
1. regul. form τα^χύτερος, η, ον, Hdt.
2. θάσσων, neut. θᾶσσον, gen. ονος, new attic θάττων, neut. θᾶττον, Hom., attic:—neut. as adv., Hom., etc.; θᾶσσον ἂν κλύοιμι "sooner", i. e. "rather", would I hear, Soph.; θᾶσσον also, like Lat. ocius, often stands for the Positive, οὐ θᾶσσον οἴσεις; i. e. make haste and bring, id=Soph.; ὅ τι θᾶσσον, like ὅ τι τάχιστα, Theocr.; ἐπειδὰν θ. Plat.
3. the form ταχίων [ι_], neut. ιον, is rare in good attic
II. the regular Sup. ταχύτατος, is rare, Pind.; ταχύτατα as adv., Xen.
2. the usual form is τάχιστος, η, ον, mostly in neut. pl. τάχιστα as adv., ὅττι τάχιστα "as soon as possible", Lat. quam celerrime, Il.; attic ὅ τι τάχιστα Soph., etc.:—so, ὅσον τ. Aesch.; ὡς τ. Hdt., attic; ὅπως τ. Aesch., etc.:—these are ellipt. phrases, for ὡς δυνατὸν τ. Hdt.; ὡς or ᾗ ἂν δύνωμαι τ. Xen., etc.:—also after Particles of Time, like Lat. quum primum, ἐπεί (ionic ἐπεί τε) τάχιστα Hdt., attic; ἐπειδὴ τ. Plat., etc.; ἐπεάν or ἐπήν, ἐπάν, ἐπειδὰν τ. Hdt., etc.; ὅταν τ. Xen.
3. often also in Prose, τὴν ταχίστην (sc. ὁδόν), as adv. "by the quickest way", i. e. "most quickly", Hdt., etc.