Ancient Greek-English Dictionary Language

μάταιος

First/Second declension Adjective; Transliteration:

Principal Part: μάταιος μάταιᾱ μάταιον

Structure: μαται (Stem) + ος (Ending)

Etym.: ma/th

Sense

  1. vain, empty, idle, trifling, frivolous
  2. thoughtless, rash, irreverent, profane, impious, seriousness, gravity
  3. idly, without ground

Examples

  • πᾶν γὰρ ἐγὼ τοὐναντίον ὁρῶ συμβεβηκόσ, εἴ γε δεῖ μὴ ταῖσ ματαίαισ δόξαισ ἐπακολουθεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸ δίκαιον τῶν πραγμάτων λαμβάνειν. (Flavius Josephus, Contra Apionem, 8:2)
  • ὃσ κἀμέ, τὸν πατρῷον ἡνίκα στόλον ξὺν Ἡρακλεῖ τὸ πρῶτον εὖνισ ἑσπόμην, φέρων ἐπ’ ὤμοισ, ἡνίκ’ ἦ μέσῳ πόρῳ, ψαύει ματαίαισ χερσίν· (Sophocles, Trachiniae, episode13)
  • ταῦτ’ ἦν τὰ τότε ἐξειργασμένα πολλὰσ ἀθεότητασ καὶ δυσχερείασ τῶν τοιούτων ἅπτεσθαι, καὶ δὴ καὶ λοιδορήσεισ γε ἐπῆλθον ποιηταῖσ, τοὺσ φιλοσοφοῦντασ κυσὶ ματαίαισ ἀπεικάζοντασ χρωμέναισιν ὑλακαῖσ, ἄλλα τε αὖ ἀνόητ’ εἰπεῖν· (Plato, Laws, book 12 178:2)
  • δῆλον γὰρ ὡσ τὸν λαὸν ὑμεῖσ τε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺσ ἐλπίσι παρακρουόμενοι ματαίαισ ἀντέχειν πείθετε. (Flavius Josephus, Antiquitates Judaicae, Book 10 12:1)

Synonyms

  1. vain

Related

Source: Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. "A Greek-English Lexicon". revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones.

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