μέγας

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From conflation of Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“great”) with its derivative *meǵh₂los (“great”). Cognates include Sanskrit मह (mahá, “great, mighty, strong, abundant”), Middle Persian ms (meh, “great”) (< *mas), (Persian مه (meh)), Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬰- (maz-, “large”), Tocharian B māka (“large”), Hittite (mēkkis, “much, many, numerous”), Old Armenian մեծ (mec), Old Irish maige (“great, large”), Albanian madh (“large”), Latin magnus and Old English miċel (English much).

Pronunciation

Adjective

μέγᾰς • (mégas) m (feminine μεγάλη, neuter μέγᾰ); first/second declension

1. big, large

   Near-synonym: μῆκος (mêkos)

2. great, mighty, loud
3. marvelous, awesome

Declension

Related terms

• μεγαίρω (megaírō)
• μεγάλος (megálos)

Descendants

• Byzantine Greek: μέγας (mégas)
  • Greek: μέγας (mégas)

References

• “μέγας”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μέγας”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μέγας”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μέγας in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• μέγας in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μέγας”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3173 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • ample idem, page 28.
  • big idem, page 78.
  • bulky idem, page 103.
  • burly idem, page 105.
  • capacious idem, page 111.
  • commodious idem, page 148.
  • considerable idem, page 163.
  • distinct idem, page 241.
  • enormous idem, page 276.
  • extensive idem, page 296.
  • gigantic idem, page 359.
  • great idem, page 372.
  • heavy idem, page 393.
  • large idem, page 476.
  • loud idem, page 501.
  • lusty idem, page 505.
  • mighty idem, page 528.
  • palatial idem, page 589.
  • potent idem, page 629.
  • powerful idem, page 630.
  • resonant idem, page 703.
  • severe idem, page 759.
  • spacious idem, page 797.
  • stentorian idem, page 815.
  • stout idem, page 821.
  • strong idem, page 827.
  • sturdy idem, page 830.
  • substantial idem, page 832.
  • tall idem, page 854.
  • vast idem, page 945.
• Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920) “Part II: Inflection”, in A Greek grammar for colleges, Cambridge: American Book Company, § 311

Greek

Alternative forms

• μεγάλος (megálos, “big, great”) (common)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέγας, from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“great”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈme.ɣas/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: μέ‧γας

Adjective

μέγας • (mégas) m (feminine μεγάλη, neuter μέγα)

1. (formal, pompous) great, very important
   • 1959 Odysseas Elytis. poem: Άξιον Εστί (To Axion Esti "It Is Worthy")

     ΑΥΤΟΣ
     ο κόσμος ο μικρός, ο μέγας!

     AFTOS
     o kósmos o mikrós, o mégas!

     THIS
     the small world, the great!

     The Collected Poems of Odysseus Elytis @books.google

   είναι μέγας νομικός ― eínai mégas nomikós ― he is a great legal mind

   Synonym: τρανός (tranós)

   1. (ironically)

      είναι μέγας απατεών ― eínai mégas apateón ― he is a huge conman

      μέγα λάθος! ― méga láthos! ― big mistake!

2. (for important places and historical figures): with capital M → Μέγας (Mégas)

   Μέγας Αλέξανδρος / o Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας ― Mégas Aléxandros / o Aléxandros o Mégas ― Alexander the Great

   Μεγάλη Αικατερίνη / η Αικατερίνη η Μεγάλη ― Megáli Aikateríni / i Aikateríni i Megáli ― Catherine the Great

Declension

• As in Ancient Greek

Derived terms

• μέγας είσαι Κύριε (mégas eísai Kýrie, “you are great, o Lord!”) (exclamation of surprise, disbelief)

Related terms

• μέγιστος (mégistos)
• μεγιστοποιώ (megistopoió)