Irregular declension

The irregular adjectives μέγας great (stems μεγα- and μεγαλο-) and πολύς much (stems πολυ- and πολλο-) are thus declined:

a. Except in the forms μέγας, μέγαν, μέγα, the adjective μέγας is inflected as if the nominative sing. masc. were μεγάλος. μέγας is sometimes found in the voc. sing. Except in πολύς, πολύν, πολύ, the adjective πολύς is inflected as if the nominative sing. masc. were πολλός.

b. The stem πολλο- is from πολυ̯ο-, i.e. πολϝο-, λϝ being assimilated to λλ.

c. πρᾷος mild forms its masc. and neuter sing. and dual from the stem πρᾳο-; its fem. in all numbers from the stem πρᾱϋ-, as nom. πρᾱεῖα for πρᾱευ̯-ια formed like ἡδεῖα (297 a). Thus πρᾷος, πρᾱεῖα, πρᾷον, G. πρᾴου, πρᾱείᾱς, πρᾴου, etc. In the plural we have

d. Some compounds of πούς foot (ποδ-) have -ουν in the nom. sing. neut. and sometimes in the acc. sing. masc. by analogy to ἁπλοῦς (290). Thus, τρίπους three-footed, τρίπουν (but acc. τρίποδα tripod).

Irregular Comparison.—The commonest adjectives forming irregular degrees of comparison by reason of the sound changes or because several words are grouped under one positive, are the following. Poetic or Ionic forms are in ( ).

a. ἀμείνων, ἄριστος express aptitude, capacity or worth (able, brave, excellent); βελτῑ́ων, βέλτιστος, a moral idea (virtuous); κρείττων, κράτιστος, force and superiority (strong) (ἥττων is the opposite of κρείττων); λῴων means more desirable, more agreeable (ὦ λῷστε my good friend); κακῑ́ων, κάκιστος express moral perversity, cowardice; χείρων, χείριστος, insufficiency, lack of a quality (less good) (worthless, good for nothing is φαῦλος).

b. ἐλᾱ́ττων, ἔλᾱττον, ἐλάχιστος refer to size: smaller (opposed to μείζων); or to multitude: fewer (opp. to πλείων). μείων, μεῖον, ἧττον, ἥκιστα also belong both to μῑκρός and to ὀλίγος.

c. The orators prefer the longer form of πλείων, especially the contracted πλείω, πλείους, but the neut. πλέον. πλεῖν is not contracted from πλέον.

This class includes some irregular verbs, one or more of whose tense-stems are quite different from others, as Eng. am, was, be, Lat. sum, fui. For the full list of forms see the List of Verbs.

1. αἱρέω (αἱρε-, ἑλ-) take, fut. αἱρήσω, ᾕρηκα, etc., 2 aor. εἷλον.

2. εἶδον (ϝιδ-, ἰδ-) saw, vidi, 2 aorist (with no present act.); 2 pf. οἶδα know (794). Middle εἴδομαι (poetic). εἶδον is used as 2 aor. of ὁράω (see below).

3. εἶπον (εἰπ-, ἐρ-, ῥε-) spoke, 2 aor. (no pres.); fut. (ἐρέω) ἐρῶ, perf. εἴ-ρη-κα, εἴρημαι, aor. pass. ἐρρήθην. The stem ἐρ- is for ϝερ-, seen in Lat. ver-bum. (Cp. 492.) ῥε- is for ϝρε, hence εἴρημαι for ϝε-ϝρη-μαι.

4. ἔρχομαι (ἐρχ-, ἐλευθ-, ἐλυθ-, ἐλθ-), go. Fut. ἐλεύσομαι (usually poet.), 2 perf. ἐλήλυθα, 2 aor. ἦλθον. The Attic future is εἶμι shall go (774). The imperf. and the moods of the pres. other than the indic. use the forms of εἶμι.

5. ἐσθίω (ἐσθ-, ἐδ-, φαγ-) eat, fut. ἔδομαι (541), pf. ἐδήδοκα, -ἐδήδεσμαι, ἠδέσθην, 2 aor. ἔφαγον.

6. ὁράω (ὁρα-, ὀπ-, ϝιδ-) see, fut. ὄψομαι, perf. ἑώρᾱκα or ἑόρᾱκα, perf. mid. ἑώρᾱμαι or ὦμμαι (ὠπ-μαι), ὤφθην, 2 aor. εἶδον (see 2 above).

7. πάσχω (παθ-, πενθ-) suffer, fut. πείσομαι for πενθ-σομαι (100), 2 pf. πέπονθα, 2 aor. ἔπαθον. (See 526 d.)

8. πῑ́νω (πι-, πο-) drink, from πῑ̔-ν-ω (523 a), fut. πῑ́ομαι (541), pf. πέπωκα, 2 aor. ἔπιον, imp. πῖθι (466. 1, a, 687).

9. τρέχω (τρεχ- for θρεχ- (125 g), δραμ-, δραμε-) run, fut. δραμοῦμαι, pf. δεδράμηκα, 2 aor. ἔδραμον.

10. φέρω (φερ-, οἰ-, ἐνεκ-, by reduplication and syncope ἐν-ενεκ and ἐνεγκ-) bear; fut. οἴσω, aor. ἤνεγκα, perf. ἐν-ήνοχ-α (446, 478), ἐν-ήνεγ-μαι, aor. pass. ἠνέχθην.

11. ὠνέομαι (ὠνε-, πρια-) buy, fut. ὠνήσομαι, perf. ἐώνημαι, ἐωνήθην. For ἐωνησάμην the form ἐπριάμην is used.

Apart from the irregularities of Class VI, some verbs may, by the formation of the verb-stem, belong to more than one class, as βαίνω (III, IV), ὀσφραίνομαι (III, IV), ὀφλισκάνω (IV, V).