ἥσσων

ἥσσων, [full] ἧσσον, gen. ονος; [dialect] Att. [full] ἥττων, [dialect] Ion. [full] ἥσσων (not ἕσσων) Hdt. (v. infr.), Democr.50, Hp.VC2: formed from ἦκα (prop. ἠσς-, cf. ἤκιστος), but in sense [comp] Comp. of κακός, μικρός:

I c. gen. pers., inferior; esp. in force, weaker,

αἴθ' 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 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,

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

.

II c. gen. rei, giving way or yielding to a thing, a slave to . . , τοῦ τῆσδ' ἔρωτος εἰς ἅπανθ' ἥσς. S.Tr.489;

τῶν αἰσχρῶν Id.Ant.747

;

ὀργῆς Id.Fr.929

;

γάμων E.IA1354

;

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.

III neut. ἧσσον, ἧττον, as Adv., less,

ὀλίγον δέ τί μ' 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] Comp.,

ἧττ. ἀκριβέστερον Id.Pr.957b8

;

ἧττ. εὐληπτοτέραν D.H.3.43

codd.: with neg., οὐχ ἧσς., οὐδ' ἧσς., not a whit less, just as much, A.Ch.181, 708, Th.1.8; οὐδὲν ἧσς., μηδὲν ἧσς., S.Aj.276, 1329; for τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττ., v. μάλα.