βραχύς

A. βραχέοις JHS 33.317 (Thess.): Comp. βραχύτερος, βραχίων (cf. βράσσων): Sup. βραχύτατος, βράχιστος:—short,

1. of Space and Time, β. οἶμος, ὁδός, Pi. P. 4.248, Pl. Lg. 718e, etc.; [αἰών] prob. in B. 3.74; βίος Hdt. 7.46; καιρός Call. Epigr. 9; χρόνος A. Pr. 939, Pers. 713, etc.; μῦθος, λόγος, Id. Pr. 505, v.l. in Pers. 713; ἐν βραχεῖ (Ion. βραχέϊ) in a short time, Hdt. 5.24, Pl. Smp. 217a codd.; διὰ βραχέος Th. 2.83; μακρὰν συνήθειαν βραχεῖ λῦσαι χρόνῳ Men. 726; βραχὺ τῃδὶ μεταστῶμεν for a moment, Id. Georg. 32; of distance, β. ἀπόδοσις short return in ballplay, Antiph. 234.6; ἐπὶ βραχὺ ἐξικνεῖσθαι X. An. 3.3.17; πρὸ βραχέος lamb.VP 25.112: Comp., ἡ φάλαγξ ‐υτέρα ἐγένετο ἀναδιπλουμένη X. Cyr. 7.5.5; τάξιν ‐υτέραν ἢ πρόσθεν, βαθυτέραν δὲ ποιήσαντες Plb. 1.33.10; βραχύτερα τοξεύειν X. An. 3.3.7. Adv. βραχέως, [πολέμους] ἐπ’ ἀλλήλους ἐπιφέρειν scantily, seldom, Th. 1.141.

2. of Size, short, small, μορφάν β. Pi. I. 4(3).53; βραχὺς ἐξικέσθαι θεῶν ἕδραν too puny to reach . . , ib.7(6).44; β. τεῦχος S. El. 1113, cf. 757; β. τεῖχος a low wall, Th. 7.29; βραχύ μοι στόμα πάντ’ ἀναγήσασθαι my mouth is too small to . . , Pi. N. 10.19; κατὰ β. προϊών little by little, Th. 1.64, cf. Pl. Sph. 241c; παρὰ βραχύ scarcely, hardly, φυγεῖν Alciphr. 3.5; βραχύ τι λωφᾶν ἀπὸ νόσου καὶ πολέμου Th. 6.12; ἁλὸς βραχύ a small quantity of salt, Bilabel Ὀψαρτ.p.11.

3. of Number, few, ἐν βραχεῖ in few words, Pi. P. 1.82, S. El. 673; ἐν βραχίστοις Pi. I. 6(5).59; ἐν βραχυτέροις Pl. Grg. 449c; so διὰ βραχέων in few words, Id. Prt. 336a; ὡς ἂν δύνωμαι διὰ βραχυτάτων D. 27.3, Lys. 16.9, cf. Pl. Grg. 449c; ὡς ἐν βραχυτάτοις Antipho 1.18. Adv. βραχέως, ἀπολογεῖσθαι briefly, in few words, X. HG 1.7.5.

4. of Value or Importance, of persons, humble, insignificant, S. OC 880; τὸν μὲν ἀφ’ ὑψηλῶν βραχὺν ᾤκισε E. Heracl. 613; β. τὴν διάνοιαν J. AJ 12.4.1; of things, petty, trifling, ἀρχὴ β. ἐλπίδος S. OT 121; χάρις Id. Tr. 1217; πρόφασις E. IA 1180; β. τις ἀσάφεια a slight obscurity, Gal. 18(1).304; λυπεῖν τινὰ βραχύ, opp. μέγ’ εὑρεῖν κέρδος, S. El. 1304; οὐ περὶ βραχέων βουλεύεσθαι Th. 1.78, cf. 140; β. καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιον Id. 8.76; β. κέρδους ἕνεκα Lys. 7.17; οὐσία Is. 10.25: neut. as Adv., βραχὺ φροντίζειν τινός think lightly of, D. 17.4.

5. short, of vowels or syllables, Arist. Cat. 4b34, Rh. 1409a18, Po. 1458a15, Heph. 1.1, D.T. 631, etc.; ἡ β. προσῳδία the sign ^, S.E. M. 1.113. (Cf. Avest. m[schwa]r[schwa]zu- 'short', Goth. gamaurgjan 'shorten', Lat. brevis.)