μέγας
I. Radic. sense, opp. to μικρός, σμικρός, "big, great", of men's stature, "tall", Hom.; of "women", καλή τε μεγάλη τε Od.:—also, "great, full-grown", of age as shewn by stature, id=Od., Aesch.
2. "vast, high", οὐρανός, ὄρος, πύργος Hom.
3. "vast, spacious, wide", πέλαγός, αἰγιαλός, etc., id=Hom.
II. of Degree, "great, strong, mighty", of gods, id=Hom., etc.; μεγάλα θεά, of Demeter and Proserpine, Soph.; μέγας ηὐξήθη rose "to greatness", Dem.; βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας, i. e. the King of Persia, "le grand monarque", Hdt.; βασιλεὺς μέγας Aesch.; ὁ μ. ἐπικληθεὶς Ἀντίοχος "the Great", Polyb.
2. "great, strong, violent", etc., ἄνεμος, λαῖλαψ Hom.; of properties, passions, etc., id=Hom., etc.
3. of sounds, "great, loud", id=Hom., etc.; μὴ φώνει μέγα Soph.;—but, μέγας λόγος a "prevailing" rumour, Aesch.
4. "great, mighty, weighty, important", μέγα ἔργον Od.; μέγα ποιεῖσθαί τι to esteem "of great importance", Hdt.; καὶ τὸ μέγιστον and what is "most important", Thuc.
5. in bad sense, "over-great", μέγα εἰπεῖν to speak "big", λίην μέγα εἰπεῖν Od.; μέγα, μεγάλα φρονεῖν to have "high" thoughts, be presumptuous, Soph., Eur.; μεγάλα πνεῖν Eur.
B. adv. μεγάλως [α^], "greatly, mightily, exceedingly", Lat. magnopere, Hom., Aesch.
II. neut. sg. and pl. μέγα and μεγάλα as adv., "very much, exceedingly", Hom.; with verbs of sound, "aloud, loudly", id=Hom.; so in attic
2. of Space, "far", μέγα ἄνευθε "far" away, Il., etc.:—with comp. and Sup. "by far", μέγ᾽ ἀμείνων, ἄριστος, φέρτατος Hom.
C. degrees of Comparison:
1. comp. μείζων (for μεγίων), -ον, gen. -ονος, Hom., attic; ionic μέζων, ον, Hdt.; later also μειζότερος, NTest.:— "greater", Hom., etc.; also, "too great, too much, more than enough", Plat.:—adv. μειζόνως Eur.; ionic μεζόνως Hdt., etc.; also neut. as adv., μεῖζον σθένειν Soph., etc.
2. Sup. μέγιστος, η, ον, Hom.:—neut. as adv., μέγιστον ἰσχύειν Soph.; with another Sup. μέγιστον ἔχθιστος Eur.:—also in pl., χαῖρ᾽ ὡς μέγιστα Soph.