λωΐων

English (LSJ)

(λῶ), ὁ, ἡ, λώϊον, τό, gen. ονος; Att. λῴων, λῷον, A.Pers. 526; acc. sg. and neut. pl.

   A λῴω S.Ph.1079, Pl.Phlb.11b; acc. pl. λῴους S.Tr.736: also an o-stem λώϊος (Hdn.Gr.1.122, Thgn.800) from which come neut. pl. λώϊα Thgn.853, Theoc.26.32, and λῷα prob. in Thgn.96: gen. pl. τῶν λῴων IG12(9).1179.36 (Chalcis, ii A.D.):— more desirable, more agreeable, better, Hom. only in neut., πολὺ λώϊόν ἐστι, τόδε λ. ἐστι, Il.1.229, Od.2.169, al.; τῷ σε χρὴ δόμεναι καὶ λώϊον ἠέ περ ἄλλοι σίτου 17.417: as Adv., γνωσόμεθ' ἀλλήλων καὶ λώϊον 23.109; μετρεῖσθαι Hes.Op.350; but οὐκ . . ἄλλη τῆσδε λωΐων γυνή Semon. 7.30: also Comp. λωΐτερος, α, ον, also used by Hom. only in neut., λωΐτερον καὶ ἄμεινον Od.1.376, 2.141: masc. in A.R.3.850, etc.: fem. in Call.Aet.4.1.7, AP5.111.6 (Phld.).—In Trag. λῴων was used generally as Comp. of ἀγαθός, A.Pers.526, etc.; φρόνησιν λαβεῖν λῴω S. Ph.1079; λῷον φρονεῖ Id.OT1038; λῴους φρένας ἀμείψασθαι Id.Tr. 736; βίου λῴονος κυρῆσαι Id.OT1513; εἰς τὸ λῷον σὸν μεθέστηκεν κέαρ E.Med.911: sts. also in Prose, ἄμεινον καὶ λῷον Pl.Lg.828a; ἀμείνω καὶ λῴω Id.Phlb.11b; λ. καὶ ἄμεινον X.An.6.2.15, SIG398.41 (Cos, iii B.C.), 1044.4 (Halic., iv/iii B.C.), cf. Berl.Sitzb.1927.165 (Cyrene), etc.    II Sup. λῷστος, η, ον, Thgn.255; λῷστον δὲ τὸ ζῆν ἄνοσον S.Fr.356; τὰ λῷστα βουλεύων A.Pr.206, etc.; παραινέσαι τὰ λ. ib. 310; τὰ λ. λέγειν Id.Ag.1053, cf. Cratin.4 D.; ὦ λῷστε Πῶλε my good friend, like ὦ βέλτιστε, Pl.Grg.467b, cf. X.Smp.4.1, etc.

French (Bailly abrégé)

ων, ον :
v. *λῶϊς.

Greek Monotonic

λωΐων: ὁ, ἡ, λώϊον, τό, Αττ. λῴων, λῷον, αιτ. ενικ. και ουδ. πληθ. λῴω (αντί λῴονα)· αιτ. πληθ. λῴους (αντί λῴονας), ουδ. λώϊα (από λάω Β, λῶ)·
I. περισσότερο επιθυμητός, περισσότερο ευχάριστος, και γενικά, καλύτερος, τόδελώιόν ἐστι, σε Όμηρ.· και ως επίρρ., καλύτερα, σε Ομήρ. Οδ.· επίσης, συγκρ. λωΐτερος, -ον, στο ουδ., λωίτερον καί ἄμεινον, στο ίδ.· στους Αττ. ποιητές, το λῴων χρησιμ. ως συγκρ. του ἀγαθός·
II. υπερθ. λῷστος, -η, -ον, σε Θέογν., Αττ.· τὰ λῷστα βουλεύειν, σε Αισχύλ.· ὦ λῷστε, ω! καλέ μου φίλε, σε Πλάτ.

Russian (Dvoretsky)

λωΐων: стяж. λῴων 2, gen. ονος (superl. λῷστος) [λῶ] более желательный, лучший (πολὺ λώϊόν ἐστι Hom.; ταῦτ᾽ ἐμοῦ λῷον φρονεῖ Soph.): λῷον καὶ ἄμεινον Xen. значительно целесообразнее; (в обращении) ὦ λῷστε! Xen., Plat. бесценный мой!

Frisk Etymological English

Grammatical information: adj.
Meaning: better, more desirable, more agreeable (Semon. 7, 30); superl. λῳ̃στος (Thgn., trag.), ᾦ λῳ̃στε (Pl.); details in v. Wilamowitz Eur. Her. v. 196, Seiler Steigerungsformen 88ff.
Other forms: Att. λῴων; ntr. λώϊον (Il.), Att. λῳ̃ον, with plur. λώϊα, λῳ̃α (Thgn., Theoc.) gen. τῶν λῴων (Chalcis IIp), also sing. m. λῳ̃ος (Hdn. Gr.); λωΐτερον (Od.), -ερος (A. R.), -έρη (Call., AP)
Origin: XX [etym. unknown]
Etymology: The first attested ntr. λῴϊον can be consiered both as ο-stem and as ν-stem; certain is the ο-stem only in the rare or late attested λώϊα, λῳ̃α, λῴων, λῳ̃ος. The ν-stem is ascertained by λωΐων and λῴονος, -ι (S.); the regularly alternating σ-stem appears in λῴω acc. sg. f. (S., Pl.) and λῴους acc. pl. f. (S.). From these data Leumann Mus. Helv. 2, 7ff. (= Kl. Schr. 220 f.) concluded, that the ο-forms originated as analogal formations to the wrongly as ο-stem interpreted λῴϊον and that λώϊον like λωΐων etc. is an old ν-stem (on the socalled absolute use Benveniste Noms d'agent 121ff.). Usually one takes with Güntert IF 27, 69ff. λωΐων etc. as transformed from a supposed positive λώϊον, λῳ̃ος (Bq, Brugmann-Thumb 247, Fraenkel Glotta 4, 44 n. 1 a. IF 59, 159f., WP. 2, 393, Risch 33c, Schwyzer 539). - The old connection with λῆν will, desire is by Güntert l.c. defended; as primary formations λωΐων, λῳ̃στος can as well go back on a verb as on a noun; cf. Leumann l.c. and Seiler Steigerungsformen l.c. Acc. to Curtius 363 a. o. (s. Bq) however to ἀπο-λαύω, λεία, λαρός (s. vv.), with perhaps Arm. law good, better (rejected by Güntert l.c.). Older attempts in Güntert and Bq, ans W.-Hofmann s. salvus.