- μείων
- μείωνGrammatical information: n.Meaning: μεῖον `smaller' (Il., Hp., X., Dor., Arc.; cf. Seiler Steigerungsformen 115f.), also μειότερος (A. R., Arat.), superl. μεῖστος `least' (Lokr. Va, Hdn., H.).Dialectal forms: Myc. meujo, mewijo.Compounds: As 1. member e.g. in μειον-εκτέω `draw the shorter, be in disadvantage' with -εξία (X.), from μεῖον ἔχειν after πλεον-έκτης, -εκτέω, -εξία (Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 166).Derivatives: Derivv. (analogical after the ο-stems [Schwyzer 731 f.], not with Egli Heteroklisie 77 from a secondary ο-stem μεῖο-ν): 1. μειότης f. `minority' (A.D., Vett.Val.); 2. μειόομαι, -όω `become smaller, be inferior, make smaller' (Hp., X., Arist.) with μεί-ωσις `lessening' (Hp., Arist.), -ωμα `lessening of wealth' = `penalty' (X. An. 5, 8, 1), -ώτης m. `who makes smaller' (Paul. Al.), -ωτικός `decreasing' (hell.).Origin: IE [Indo-European] [711] *mei-u- ``less, small'Etymology: Primary comparative from a verb `lessen' in Skt. minā́ti `lessen, damage', mī́yate `become less, dwindle'; cf. the opposite πλείων, πλέων, πλεῖστος (s. πολύς). The judgement of the general -ει- is uncertain. -- Myc. meujo, mewijo, appar. = μείων, cannot be combined with this explanation, but might find support in Toch. B maiwe `small, young' (from *meiu̯o-, *moiu̯o-; Duchesne-Guillemin BSL 41, 157); but the u̯o-suffix (older u-stem?) belongs only to the positive. -- Diff. on μείων Osthoff. MU 6, 303ff.: from *μείνων to ἀ-μείνων (s.v.) with loss of the -ν- after πλείων (? improbable). Cf. μινύθω.Page in Frisk: 2,197-198
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.