ἥσσων

I inferior, weaker, not so good, second, inferior

c. gen. pers., inferior; esp. in force, weaker, αἴθʼ ὅσον ἥ. εἰμὶ τόσον σέο φέρτερος εἴην Il. 16.722; of horses, 23.322, al.; ῥώμῃ ἥσσονες τῶν Περσέων Hdt. 8.113, cf. 9.62; γυναικῶν ἥσσονες S. Ant. 680; Κύπριδος E. Andr. 631; ἔς τι in a thing, Hdt. 3.102: c. inf. modi, ἥσσ. τινὸς θέειν not so good at running, ib. 105; οὐδενὸς ἥσσ. γνῶναι second to none in judging, Th. 2.60; ἱππεύειν ἥττ. τῶν ἡλίκων inferior to them in riding, X. Cyr. 1.3.15.

2 the weaker party, the worse

abs., οἱ ἥσσ. the weaker party, A. Supp. 203, 489; οὐχ ἥσσους γενέσθαι to have the best of it, Th. 4.72; τὸ λαμβάνειν τὰ τῶν ἡττ. X. An. 5.6.32: c. dat. modi, ἥσσονες ναυμαχίῃ Hdt. 5.86: c. acc. modi, τὸν νοῦν ἥσσ. S. El. 1023, cf. X. Cyr. 1.4.4; of things, τὸν ἥττω λόγον κρείττω ποιεῖν ‘to make the worse appear the better cause’, Pl. Ap. 18b, cf. Ar. Nu. 114: pl., οἱ ἥττους λόγοι ib. 1042, Isoc. 15.15; τὸ ἧσσ. ἀδικία νέμεις E. Supp. 379 (lyr.).

b less, fewer

less, fewer, ἵνα πλείω μὲν ἀκούωμεν, ἥττονα δὲ λέγωμεν Zeno Stoic. 1.68.

II giving way, yielding to, a slave to, unable to resist

c. gen. rei, giving way or yielding to a thing, a slave to . . , τοῦ τῆσδʼ ἔρωτος εἰς ἅπανθʼ ἥσσ. S. Tr. 489; τῶν αἰσχρῶν Id. Ant. 747; ὀργῆς Id. Fr. 929; γάμων E. IA 1354; κέρδους Ar. Pl. 363; ἡδονῶν Pl. Prt. 353c; γαστρὸς ἢ οἴνου ἢ ἀφροδισίων ἢ πόνου ἢ ὕπνου X. Mem. 1.5.1; χρημάτων Democr. l.c., Theopomp.Hist. 121: generally, unable to resist, τοῦ πεπρωμένου E. Hel. 1660; νόσων καὶ γήρως Lys. 2.78; οἱ ἥττους τῶν πόνων [ἵπποι] X. Eq.Mag. 1.3, 2.78 [not found].

III less, less, just as much

neut. ἧσσον, ἧττον, as Adv., less, ὀλίγον δέ τί μʼ ἧσσ. ἐτίμα Od. 15.365, cf. E. Hipp. 264 (anap.); ἧσσόν τι Th. 3.75; ἧσσ. ἑτέρων Id. 1.84; ὁμοίως τε τρωθεὶς καὶ ἧσσ. Hp. l.c.: mostly with Verbs, but also with Adjs., ἀριστοκρατίαι . . αἱ μὲν ἧττ., αἱ δὲ μᾶλλον μόνιμοι Arist. Pol. 1307a14, cf. Mete. 340b8: with a Comp., ἧττ. ἀκριβέστερον Id. Pr. 957b8; ἧττ. εὐληπτοτέραν D.H. 3.43 codd.: with neg., οὐχ ἧσσ., οὐδʼ ἧσσ., not a whit less, just as much, A. Ch. 181, 708, Th. 1.8; οὐδὲν ἧσσ., μηδὲν ἧσσ