μάλθη
οὐκ ἐν τῷ πολλῷ τὸ εὖ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ εὖ τὸ πολύ → good is not found in plenty but plenty in good, quality matters more than quantity
English (LSJ)
ἡ, v. μάλθα. μαλθόω, = μαλακόω, Hsch.
German (Pape)
French (Bailly abrégé)
ης (ἡ) :
I. enduit mou :
1 sorte de goudron fait de cire et de poix;
2 cire liquide qu'on étendait sur les tablettes à écrire;
II. poisson de mer à chair molle.
Étymologie: R. Μαλ, être mou ; cf. μαλθακός.
Russian (Dvoretsky)
μάλθη: ἡ мальта (смесь воска со смолой на писчих дощечках) (ἐν μάλθῃ γεγραμμένος Dem.).
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
μάλθη: ἡ, ἴδε μάλθα.
Greek Monolingual
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: f.
Meaning: mix of wax and pitch, to caulk ships, and for on writing tables (Cratin. 204); after H. also = τρυφερή (adj.; correct?); also name of a big see-animal (Ael., Opp.; after the weak or waxlike flesh?, Strömberg Fischnamen 32,), but the word has nothing to do with μαλθακός.
Other forms: also μάλθα (Ar. Fr. 157) μάλθης, -θῃ (Hippon., S., D.); on the variation -η: -α Solmsen Wortforsch. 265)
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: The word has of course nothing to do with μαλθακός (s.v.). It is a technical loanword. The word must be Pre-Greek, as μαλθ- cannot be explined from IE (*meldʰ-). This also explains the nom. in -α (Beekes, Pre-Greek, 3, 1). Lat. LW [loanword] malt(h)a
