1. μέσος · mesos — Beekes
The corpus record
μέσος
mesos
(in the) middle
Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.
Where it lives
- De juventute et senectute, De vita et morte 13 · 70.73/10k
- Ezechiel 162 · 56.05/10k
- Analytica priora et posteriora 303 · 54.53/10k
- Zacharias 21 · 43.54/10k
- Malachias 5 · 36/10k
- Michaeas 8 · 35.12/10k
- Critias 13 · 26.31/10k
- Susanna (LXX) 2 · 26.18/10k
- Judices (cod. Al.) 38 · 25.98/10k
- Sophonias 3 · 25.34/10k
- Genesis 69 · 22.97/10k
- Abdias 1 · 22.73/10k
Densest 12 of 145 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.
What it meant
2. μέσος · mesos — Chantraine
3. μέσος · mesos — Frisk
4. μέσος · mesos — Frisk
5. μέσος · mesos — LSJ
middle, in the middle,
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. OT 812; 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
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. gen., midway between, ἑνὸς καὶ πλήθους τὸ ὀλίγον μ. Pl. Plt. 303a (also μ. ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα, ibid.):—S. has μέσος ἀπὸ [τοῦ κρατῆρος] τοῦ τε πέτρου OC 1595.
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.
metaph., impartial, Th. 4.83, PLond. 1.113(1).27 (vi A.D.).
intermediate, freq. c. gen., μ. τις γέγονα χρηματιστὴς τοῦ τε πάππου καὶ τοῦ πατρός Pl. R. 330b; ψιλὸν μὲν τὸ π̄, δασὺ δὲ τὸ φ̄, μέσον δὲ ἀμφοῖν τὸ β̄ 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, EM 626.38; ζῴδια (neither lucky nor unlucky) Vett.Val. 93.9; μ. δίαιτα Diocl. Fr. 141, cf. Sor. 1.46.
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.
Gramm., of consonants, Lat. mediae, i. e. β̄γ̄δ̄, 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.
middling, moderate,
of size, μέσοι ὀφθαλμοί, ὦτα, γλῶττα, Id. HA 492a8, 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.
of class or quality, πάντων μέσʼ 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
μέσον, τό, midst, intervening space, mostly with Preps.,
ἐν μέσσῳ, = ἐν μεταιχμίῳ, Il. 3.69, 90; ἐν τῷ μ. in the midst, Ev.Matt. 14.6; ἡ ʼν 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 τʼ 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. OC 583; οἱ ἐν μ. λόγοι the intervening words, Id. El. 1364, E. Med. 819; κλίνης ἐν μ. Id. Hec. 1150; ἐν μ.
ἐς μέσον, ἐς μ. ἀμφοτέρων, freq. in Hom. for ἐς μεταίχμιον, Il. 4.79, 6.120; ἀνδρὶ δὲ νικηθέντι γυναῖκʼ 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. Agis 9; 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,
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 I.6 fin.), Hdt. 3.83, cf. 4.118, 8.22, 73.
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. HG 5.4.25; 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 speec
ἀν (ὀν) τὸ μ. in the midst, Alc. 18.3, Xenoph. 1.11, Thgn. 839; ἀνὰ μέσον midway between, Arist. HA 496a22, Antiph. 13, Theoc. 22.21, etc.; ἀνὰ μ. τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ GDI 2010 (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.
κατὰ μέσσον, = ἐν μέσῳ, Il. 5.8, 16.285, etc.: c. gen., κὰδ δὲ μέσον τάφρου καὶ τείχεος ἷζον between, 9.87.
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.
middle state, mean, τὸ μ. καὶ τὸ εὖ Arist. EN 1109b26; ποιήματα μέσα, opp. ὀγκώδη, in the (correct) mean, Phld. Po. 5.5. Adv. -ως, ἀναστρέφεσθαι Id. Rh. 1.155S.
in Logic, τὸ μ. the middle term of a syllogism, opp. τὰ ἄκρα, Arist. APr. 66a30; also ὁ μ. (sc. ὅρος) ib. 25b33.
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.
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.
μέσα, τά, = μέζεα, Blaes. p.191 K.
= κοιλία I.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).
Μέσον, τό, one of the law-courts at Athens, Phot., Sch. Ar. V. 120.
οὐ τοῖς μέσοις τῆς βίας χρωμένη no ordinary force, Hierocl. p.15 A.
μέση, ἡ, as Subst., v. μέση.
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.
regul. Adv. μέσως, πόλεώς τʼ 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. EN 1105b28, 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.
Gramm., in the middle voice, A.D. Synt. 276.21.
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.)
In the wild
- μέσων · mesōn Aeschylus, Eumenides 111–113
- μέσῳ · mesōi Aeschylus, Eumenides 529–531
- μέσῳ · mesōi Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 145–146
- μέσον · meson Aeschylus, Persians 192–196
- μέσον · meson Aeschylus, Persians 504–505
- μέσῳ · mesōi Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 389–390
6 of 2,241 attestations shown. Ask for more.
Where it came from
- Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. μέσος (scan p. 986; entry #4034).
- Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. μέσος (scan pp. 705-706; entry #5225).
- Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. μέσος (scan pp. 1186-1187; entry #3836). Root candidates: *midjunga-.