σπάνιος

A. rare, scarce, scanty, Hdt. 2.67, 5.29, etc.; ς. θήρευμα . . λαβεῖν a rare catch, E. IA 1162; of persons, rarely seen, aloof, δυσπρόσιτος, ἔσω τε κλῄθρων σπάνιος ib.345 (troch.); ς. σεαυτὸν παρέχειν Pl. Euthphr. 3d, cf. Plu. Crass. 7; τῷ ὕδατι ς. χρώμενοι having a scanty supply of water, Th. 7.4; in an Adv.sense, σπάνιος ἐπιφοιτᾷ he seldom visits, Hdt. 2.73; so τοὺς σπανίους ἰδεῖν στρατηγούς seldom seen, X. Cyr. 7.5.46, cf. Pl. Lg. 953c; σπάνιοι περιπεπλεύκασι Str. 15.1.4; σπάνιόν ἐστι, c. inf., it is seldom that . ., X. Cyr. 1.3.3, Isoc. 10.13; opp. ῥᾴδιον, Archyt. 3; σπάνιον εἴ τις . . it is rare for one to . ., Str. 7.3.4: τὸ ς. Aeschin. 3.180, Arist. Mete. 372a23; ὁ ταὧς διὰ τὸ ς. θαυμάζεται Eub. 114.

II. Comp. σπανιώτερος Hdt. 8.25, Th. 1.33, etc.: Sup. ‐ώτατος Id. 7.68, Lyr.Adesp. 138.1, Pl. Cra. 389a, etc.

III. Adv. ‐ίως seldom, X. Ages. 9.1, Arist. HA 488b6, Plb. 2.15.6 (so σπάνιον Str. 3.5.1, Plu. Cic. 8, etc., but σπανίᾳ is Adj. in Pl. Phdr. 256c, and σπάνιον in Arist. Mete. 372a14): Comp. ‐ιώτερον Th. 1.23; ‐ιαίτερον Thphr. HP 3.7.5 codd.—Rare in Poets, as Ion Eleg. 3.4.