πλεῖστος, η, ον,
Sup. of πολύς, most, greatest, largest, in number, size, extent, etc., π. ὅμιλος, λαός, Il. 15.616, 16.377, etc.; π. κακόν Od. 4.697; πλεῖστοι ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων Hes. Fr. 33.1; π. εὐκλείας γέρας S. Ph. 478; φιλοσοφία παλαιοτάτη τε καὶ πλείστη most in vogue, Pl. Prt. 342a; π. τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν φῦλον τὸ Ἀρκαδικόν X. HG 7.1.23, etc.; τῇ γνώμῃ πλεῖστός εἰμι, ἡ π. γνώμη, Hdt. 7.220 (s.v.l.), 5.126; πλεῖστον σχήσειν, as Sup. of πλέον ἔχειν (v. πλείων ), Th. 7.36 .
2. with Art., οἱ π. the greatest number, Id. 4.90, etc.; τὸ π. τοῦ βίου the greatest part of . ., Pl. Lg. 718a, etc. (also same gender as the foll. Noun, ὁ π. τοῦ βίου, ἡ π. τῆς στρατιᾶς, Th. 1.5, 7.3 ); τῇ ὄψει τοῦ θαρσεῖν τὸ π. εἰληφότες Id. 4.34; τῷ πλούτῳ διδοὺς τὸ π. E. Supp. 408 .
II Special usages: with relat., ὅσας ἂν πλείστας δύνωνται καταστρέφεσθαι subdue the greatest number that they possibly could, Hdt. 6.44; ὡς ἂν δύνωνται πλεῖστα IG 12.98.4, cf. 109.10, 113.37; ὁπόσσω κα πλείστω ἄξιος ᾖ Berl.Sitzb. 1927.160 ( Cyrene ); ὅς κα πλεῖστον διδῷ ἀποδόμενοι Leg.Gort. 5.48; ὡς π. χρόνον Pl. Grg. 481b; ὅτι π. Th. 6.64, etc.: coupled with εἷς (q.v.), εἷς ἀνὴρ π. πόνον ἐχθροῖς παρασχών A. Pers. 327: in comp. sense, πλείστον ἄξια ἢ ὥς τις οἴεται Hp. Art. 57 (but πλεῖστα ἤ is corrupt in Hdt. 2.35 ).
III Adv. usages: πλεῖστον most, Il. 19.287, Hes. Th. 231, etc.; ὡς π. X. An. 2.2.12: sts. added to a Sup., π. ἐχθίστη S. Ph. 631; π. ἀνθρώπων . . κάκιστος Id. OC 743; τὴν π. ἡδίστην θεῶν E. Alc. 790: πλεῖστα as Adv., Pi. P. 9.97, S. OC 720, etc.; πολλάκις μὲν . ., π. δὲ . . Pl. Hp.Ma. 281b; π. χαίρειν, freq. in letters, POxy. 742 (i B.C.), etc. furthest, π. ἀφεστηκέναι Pl. R. 587a, Arist. Mu. 391a13 .
2. with Art., τὸ π. at most, ἡμερῶν τεσσάρων τὸ π. Ar. V. 260, etc.; τὰ π. for the most part, Pl. Criti. 118c, etc.; opp. ἐνίοτε, Arist. HA 563a31 . -
The form πλείστως is cited by Gal. 17(1).855 from Hp. Epid. 6.1.10 ( πλεῖστα codd.). with Preps.:
1 διὰ πλείστου furthest off, in point of space or time, Th. 4.115, 6.11 .
2. ἐς πλεῖστον most, S. OC 739 .
3. ἐπὶ πλεῖστον over the greatest distance, to the greatest extent, in point of space, time, or extent, ἐπὶ π. χλιδῆς ἀπίκετο Hdt. 6.127; ἐπὶ π. τοῦ γενησομένου Th. 1.138; ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ π. Id. 1.2; ἐπὶ π. ἀνθρώπων ib. 1; ὡς ἐπὶ π. or ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ π., for the most part, Id. 4.14, Pl. Lg. 720d .
4. κατὰ τὸ π. for the most part, Plb. 11.4.7, etc.
5. περὶ πλείστου ποιεῖσθαι, v. περί A. IV.
6. ἐν τοῖς πλεῖσται, v. ὁ, ἡ, τό, A. v111. 6.
G4118, G4119, G4183
πολύς polys 416x
great in magnitude or quantity, much, large, [Mat 13:5]; [Joh 3:23]; [Joh 15:8];
pl. many, [Mat 3:7];
in time, long, [Mat 25:19]; [Mar 6:35]; [Joh 5:6];
οἱ πολλοί, the many, the mass, [Rom 5:15]; [Rom 12:5]; [1Co 10:33];
τὸ πολύ, much, [2Co 8:15];
πολύ, as an adv., much, greatly, [Mar 12:27]; [Luk 7:47];
of time, ἐπὶ πολύ, a long time, [Act 28:6];
μετ’ οὐ πολὺ, not long after, [Act 27:14];
followed by a compar., much, [2Co 8:22];
πολλῷ, much, by much, [Mat 6:30]; [Mar 10:48];
τὰ πολλά, as an adv., most frequently, generally, [Rom 15:22];
πολλά, as an adv., much, greatly, vehemently, [Mar 1:45]; [Mar 3:12];
of time, many times, frequently, often, [Mat 9:14] great; large; many.
G4118 — πλεῖστος
πλείστῃ, πλεῖστον (superlative of πολύς), most: plural [Mat 11:20]; (ὄχλος πλεῖστος, a very great multitude, [Mar 4:1] T Tr WH); ὁ πλεῖστος ὄχλος, the most part of the multitude, [Mat 21:8] (Thucydides 7, 78; Plato, rep. 3, p. 397{d}; λαός, Homer, Iliad 16, 377); τό πλεῖστον, adverbially, at the most, [1Co 14:27].