Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

A.b 2 (v B. C.):—middle, in the middle,

I. of Space, esp. with Nouns, of the middle point or part, “μ. σάκος” Il.7.258; “ἱστίον” 1.481; οὐρανός zenith, Od.4.400; μ. ἀπήνης from mid chariot, S.OT812; ἐν αἰθέρι μ. in mid-air, Id.Ant.416; μ. μετώπῳ in the middle of the forehead, PRyl.128.30 (i A. D.): in Prose freq. preceding the Art., “κατὰ μέσον τὸν σταθμόν” X.An.1.7.14; ἐν μ. τῇ χώρᾳ ib.2.1.11; ἐκ μ. τῆς νήσου, κατὰ μ. τὴν νῆσον, Pl.Criti.113d, 119d; ἐπὶ μέσου τοῦ τμάματος at the middle point of the segment, Archim.Aequil.1.6; ἁ ἐπὶ μέσαν τὰν βάσιν ἀγομένα (sc. εὐθεῖα) ib.12: sts. following the Noun, “ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ” D.29.12: less freq. midmost, central, of three or more objects, “μ. ὁδός” Thgn.220, 331; ὁ μ. [δάκτυλος] Pl.R.523c; τὸ μ. στῖφος the central division of the army, X.An.1.8.13; μέσον, τό, centre, “ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ μ. φορά” Iamb.Protr.21.

b. with a Verb, ἔχεται μ. by the middle, by the waist, prov. from the wrestling-ring, Ar.Eq.387 (lyr.), cf. Ach. 571 (lyr.), Nu.1047, Ra.469; “μέσην λαβόντα” Id.Ach.274, cf. Hdt.9.107, D.53.17; “ὁ πέπλος ἐρράγη μ.” Philippid.25.5.

c. c. gen., midway between, “ἑνὸς καὶ πλήθους τὸ ὀλίγον μ.” Pl.Plt.303a (also μ. ἐπ᾽ ἀμφότερα, ibid.):—S. has “μέσος ἀπὸ [τοῦ κρατῆρος] τοῦ τε πέτρου” OC 1595.

2. of Time, Hom. only in phrase μέσον ἦμαρ midday, Il.21.111, Od.7.288, Pi.P.9.113; “μέσαι νύκτες” Sapph.52, Hdt.4.181, X. An.7.8.12, etc.; “θέρευς ἔτι μέσσου ἐόντος” Hes.Op.502; “χειμῶνος μέσου” Ar.Fr.569.1; “μ. ἡμέρα” Hdn.8.5.9; μ. ἡλικία middle age, Pl.Ep.316c: so “μέσοι τὴν ἡλικίαν” E.Ep.5; μέσος ἀκμῆς v.l. in Theoc.25.164.

3. metaph., impartial, Th.4.83, PLond.1.113(1).27 (vi A.D.).

b. inter-mediate, freq. c. gen., “μ. τις γέγονα χρηματιστὴς τοῦ τε πάππου καὶ τοῦ πατρός” Pl.R.330b; “ψιλὸν μὲν τὸ π_, δασὺ δὲ τὸ φ_, μέσον δὲ ἀμφοῖν τὸ β_” D.H.Comp.14 (v. infr. d); ἡ τρίτη καὶ μ. τῶν εἰρημένων δυεῖν ἁρμονιῶν ib.24; ὁ μ. χαρακτήρ ib.21; indeterminate, Luc.Par.28; τὰ μ. things indifferent (neither good nor bad), Stoic.3.135, al.; of words such as τύχη, EM626.38; ζῴδια (neither lucky nor unlucky) Vett.Val.93.9; “μ. δίαιτα” Diocl.Fr.141, cf.Sor.1.46.

c. Gramm., of Verbs, middle, Eust. 1846.30, etc.; μ. διάθεσις, σχήματα, A.D.Synt.226.10, 210.18; μ. ἐνεστώς present middle, ib.278.25.

d. Gramm., of consonants, Lat. mediae, i. e. β_γ_δ_, D.T.631.23: but also of semi-vowels, Pl.Phlb.18c: of accent, ὀξύτητι καὶ βαρύτητι καὶ τῷ μέσῳ, i. e. the circumflex, Arist. Po.1456b33.

II. middling, moderate,

1. of size, μέσοι ὀφθαλμοί, ὦτα, γλῶττα, Id.HA492a8,33,b31; μ. μεγέθει ib.496a21, PPetr.1p.37 (iii B. C.); μ. alone, of middle height, PGrenf.2.23（a） ii 3 (ii B. C.), POxy. 73.13 (i A. D.), etc.

2. of class or quality, “πάντων μέσ᾽ ἄριστα” Thgn. 335; “παντὶ μέσῳ τὸ κράτος θεὸς ὤπασεν” A.Eu.529 (lyr.); “μ. ἐν πόλει” Phoc.12; μ. ἀνήρ a man of middle rank, Hdt.1.107; “μ. πολίτης” Th.6.54; “τὰ μ. τῶν πολιτῶν” Id.3.82 (so “τῶν ἀνὰ πόλιν τὰ μ.” Pi.P.11.52); οἱ μ., between οἱ εὔποροι and οἱ ἄποροι, Arist.Pol.1289b31, 1295b3; οἱ μ. πολῖται ib.1296a19; τὸ μ. ib.1295b37; μ. [πολιτεία] ib.1296a7; “ὁ μ. βίος” Luc.Luct.9; mediocre, Pl.Prt.346d; τῶν ἑταιρῶν αἱ μ. Theopomp. Com.21. Adv. μέσως, ἱκανόν fairly adequate, Phld.Rh.2.4S.

III. μέσον, τό, midst, intervening space, mostly with Preps.,

a. ἐν μέσσῳ, = ἐν μεταιχμίῳ, Il.3.69,90; “ἐν τῷ μ.” in the midst, Ev.Matt.14.6; ἡ 'ν μέσῳ [μοῖρα] σῴζει πόλεις the middle class, E.Supp.244: without “ἐν, ἔμβαλε μέσσῳ” Il.4.444; “ἔνθορε μέσσῳ” 21.233; “μέσσῳ ἀμφοτέρων” 3.416, 7.277; “τῶνδέ τ᾽ ἐν μ. πεσεῖν” E.Ph.583; “ἐν μ. λόγους ἔχειν” Id.Hel. 630; “μῆκος ἐν μ. χρόνου” A.Supp.735; “χρόνος οὑν μ.” E.Ph.589 (troch.); τὰ ἐν μ. what went between, S.OC583; οἱ ἐν μ. λόγοι the intervening words, Id.El.1364, E.Med.819; “κλίνης ἐν μ.” Id.Hec.1150; ἐν μ. ἡμῶν καὶ βασιλέως between us and him, X.An.2.2.3; “σοφίας καὶ ἀμαθίας ἐν μ.” Pl.Smp.203e; ἐν μ. νυκτῶν at midnight, X.Cyr.5.3.52; ἆθλα κείμεν᾽ ἐν μέσῳ offered for competition (cf. infr. b), D.4.5, cf. Thgn.994, X.An.3.1.21; ἡ τιμὴ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἔστω deposited with the court, Herod.2.90: without ἐν, καὶ μέσῳ πάντες καὶ χωρὶς ἕκαστος both collectively and severally, IG12(5).872.27,31,38, al. (Tenos): in pl., “κεῖτο δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐν μέσσοισι” Il.18.507; “ἐν μέσοισ᾽” Xenoph.1.7; ἐν μέσῳ εἶναι τοῦ συμμεῖξαι to stand in the way of . . , X.Cyr.5.2.26; ἡ γὰρ θάλαττα ἐν τῷ μ. is an obstacle, Id.Ath.2.2; “οὐδεὶς ἐν μέσσῳ γείτων πέλεν” Theoc.21.17; “οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν ἐν μ. πολεμεῖν ἡμᾶς” D.23.183; cf. ἰμέσος.

b. ἐς μέσον, ἐς μ. ἀμφοτέρων, freq. in Hom. for ἐς μεταίχμιον, Il.4.79, 6.120; ἀνδρὶ δὲ νικηθέντι γυναῖκ᾽ ἐς μέσσον ἔθηκε deposited her as a prize (cf. supr. a), 23.704; “ἐς μ. δεικνύναι τινί τι” Pi.Fr.42.3; ἐς μ. ἵεσθαι, ἐλθεῖν, παρελθεῖν, S.Tr.514 (lyr.), Theoc.22.183, Plu. Agis9; “ἐς μέσον ἀμφοτέροισι . . δικάσσατε” Il.23.574; ἐς τὸ μ. φέρειν bring forward publicly, Hdt.4.97, D.18.139; “ἐς τὸ μ. λέγεσθαι” Hdt. 6.129; ἐς μ. Πέρσῃσι καταθεῖναι τὰ πρήγματα to give up the power in common to all, Id.3.80; ἐς μ. τὴν ἀρχὴν τιθεὶς ἰσονομίην ὑμῖν προαγορεύω ib.142.

c. ἐκ τοῦ μέσου away, “ἐκ μ. ἀνελεῖν” D.10.36, 18.294; [“χειρόγραφον] ἦρκεν ἐκ τοῦ μ.” Ep.Col.2.14, cf. Arr.Epict.3.3.15; also ἐκ μ. a half, “ἔτη ὀκτὼ καὶ ἔνατον ἐκ μ.” Th.4.133; also ἐκ μ. κατῆστο remained in the middle, i. e. neutral (cf. “ἐκ” 1.6 fin.), Hdt.3.83, cf. 4.118, 8.22,73.

d. διὰ μέσου between, “τὸ διὰ μ. ἔθνος” Id.1.104; “διὰ μ. ποιεῖσθαι” X.Cyr.6.3.3; διὰ μ. γενέσθαι intervene, of an event, Th.4.20: c. gen., “διὰ μέσου τῆς πόλεως ῥεῖ ποταμός” X. An.1.2.23; διὰ μ. ῥεῖ τούτων ποταμός ib.1.4.4, etc.; “τὸ τούτων διὰ μ.” Pl.Lg.805e; also οἱ διὰ μέσου the middle party, the moderates, Th. 8.75, X.HG5.4.25; τὸ διὰ μ. the middle class, Arist.Pol.1296a8; of Time, “ὁ διὰ μ. χρόνος” Hdt.9.112; ἡ διὰ μ. ξύμβασις an interim agreement, Th.5.26; διὰ μέσου, as a figure of speech, use of parenthesis, Hdn.Fig.p.95S.

e. ἀν （ὀν） τὸ μ. in the midst, Alc.18.3, Xenoph.1.11, Thgn.839; ἀνὰ μέσον midway between, Arist.HA496a22, Antiph. 13, Theoc.22.21, etc.; “ἀνὰ μ. τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ” GDI2010 (Delph.), cf. PTeb.13.9 (ii B. C.), al.; “θρὶξ ἀνὰ μέσσον” Theoc.14.9; “ἀνὰ μέσσα” Nic.Th.167; also ἀνὰ μέσον φέρε, = μετρίως, Men.531.18.

f. κατὰ μέσσον, = ἐν μέσῳ, Il.5.8, 16.285, etc.: c. gen., κὰδ δὲ μέσον τάφρου καὶ τείχεος ἷζον between, 9.87.

2. μέσον, τό, difference, τὸ μ. πρὸς τὰς μεγίστας καὶ ἐλαχίστας the average between . . , Th.1.10; πολλὸν τὸ μ., πολὺ τὸ μ., the difference is great, Hdt.1.126, E.Alc.914 (anap.); τὸ μ. οὐδὲν τῆς ἔχθρης ἐστί there is no middle course for our enmity, Hdt.7.11.

3. middle state, mean, “τὸ μ. καὶ τὸ εὖ” Arist.EN1109b26; ποιήματα μέσα, opp. ὀγκώδη, in the (correct) mean, Phld.Po.5.5. Adv. -ως“, ἀναστρέφεσθαι” Id.Rh.1.155S.

4. in Logic, τὸ μ. the middle term of a syllogism, opp. τὰ ἄκρα, Arist.APr.66a30; also ὁ μ. (sc. ὅρος) ib.25b33.

5. Math., middle terms in a proportion, Euc.6.16; μέση, or μέση （μέσος） ἀνάλογον a mean proportional (straight line or number), ib.13, 17, 8.11, 12, al.; “μέσης εὕρεσις” Arist.de An.413a19, Metaph.996b21; μέση medial, a specific kind of irrational (straight line), Euc.10.21, al.; μέσον ὀρθογώνιον （χωρίον) medial rectangle (area), ib.24, al.

6. Astron., ὁ διὰ μέσων τῶν ζῳδίων κύκλος the ecliptic, Hipparch.1.9.3,4, Gem.2.21, Ptol.Alm.2.7: without κύκλος, Eudox. ap. Arist.Metaph.1073b20, Hipparch.1.9.12; simply, “ὁ διὰ μέσων” D.L.7.146; but, ὁ μέσος [κύκλος] the equator of a rotating sphere, Arist.Metaph.1073b30.

7. μέσα, τά, = μέζεα, Blaes.p.191 K.

b. = κοιλία 1.3, Herod.Med. ap. Orib.5.27.3, Gal.14.732: sg., Heph.Astr.1.1 (v.l. τὰ μέσα Cat.Cod.Astr.8(2).45).

8. Μέσον, τό, one of the law-courts at Athens, Phot., Sch.Ar.V.120.

9. οὐ τοῖς μέσοις τῆς βίας χρωμένη no ordinary force, Hierocl.p.15 A.

IV. μέση, ἡ, as Subst., v. μέση.

V. Adv. μέσον, Ep. μέσσον, in the middle, Il.12.167, Od.14.300: c. gen., between, “οὐρανοῦ μ. χθονός <τε>” E.Or.983 (lyr.), cf. Arr.Epict.2.22.10; in the midst of, “μ. τῆς θαλάσσης” LXX Ex.14.27; “μ. γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς” Ep.Phil.2.15: also in pl., “μέσα αἰετὸς οὐρανοῦ ποτᾶται” E.Rh.530 (lyr.), cf. Nic.Fr.74.26.

2. regul. Adv. “μέσως, πόλεώς τ᾽ οὐ μ. εὐδαίμονος” E.Andr.873, cf. Hec.1113, Isoc.9.23; καὶ μ. even in a moderate degree, even a little, Th.2.60; μ. ἔχειν πρός or περί τι to be in the mean . . , Arist.EN1105b28, 1119a11; “θερμότερον ἢ κραυρότερον ἢ μ. ἔχον” Eub.7.1, cf. Sosip. 1.53; μ. βεβιωκέναι in a middle way, i. e. neither well nor ill, Pl.Phd. 113d; “μ. μεθύων” Men.226; μ. διατιθέναι in an intermediate way, D.H. Comp.14.

b. Gramm., in the middle voice, A.D. Synt.276.21.

VI. irreg. Comp. “μεσαίτερος” Pl.Prm.165b: Sup. “μεσαίτατος” Hdt.4.17, Arist.Mu.392b33, Gem.9.3, etc.; poet. “μεσσότατος” A.R.4.649, Man. 6.373. (Cf. Skt.mádhyas 'middle', Lat. medius, etc.)