Strong G2908κρείσσων

κρείσσων, ον,
genitive ονος, as always in Epic dialect and old Attic dialect; later Attic dialect κρείττων; Ionic dialect κρέσσων [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Hippocrates Medicus “Fract.” 3, +others, variant in 4th c.BC: Dionysius Tragicus (see. below 11); _Doric dialect_)] κάρρων (which see); Cretan dialect κάρτων [Refs (“Leg.Gort.” 1.15:)] — _comparative_ of κρατύς (see. κράτιστος), stronger, mightier, [Refs 8th c.BC+ (κ. βασιλεύς, ὅτε χώσεται ἀνδρὶ χέρηϊ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 1.80)]; especially in battle, [Refs 6th c.BC+ (κρείσσοσιν ἶφι μάχεσθαι 21.486; Διὸς κ. νόος ἠέ περ ἀνδρῶν 16.688; κεραυνοῦ κρέσσον.. βέλος 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “I.” 8(7).36, compare 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 7.172, Hp.[same place], etc.; κρείσσων χεῖρας 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 4.4.7; τὸ τοῦ κ. συμφέρον Plato Philosophus [{5-6th c.BC}] “Respublica” 338c, compare 3rd c.AD: Democritus Epigrammaticus 267)]: hence, having the upper hand, superior, [Refs 8th c.BC+ (ὁππότερος δέ κε νικήσῃ κ. τε γένηται 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 3.71; κ. ἀρετῇ τε βίῃ τε 23.578)]: as Law-term, of witnesses, [Refs (κάρτονανς ἦμεν _prevail,_ Leges Gortynensium)] [prev. cited]
2 frequently as comparative of ἀγαθός, better, κρέσσονες one's betters, especially in point of rank, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “O.” 10(11).39, “N.” 10.72 (but also, _the stronger, more powerful_, 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Or.” 710, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 1.8, etc.); ἐς τοὺς τοκέας καὶ ἐς τοὺς κρέσσονας τεθυμῶσθαι 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.52, compare “SIG” 685.134 (5th c.BC: Magnes Comicus Mae., 2nd c.BC); οἱ κ. corps of guards at Thebes, 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus 2.598e; κρείσσονες θεοί)], of the greater gods, as opposed to to Oceanus, [Refs 4th c.BC+ (4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Pr.” 902 (Lyric poetry); ὁ κ. Ζεύς [prev\. author] “Ag.” 60)] (anapaest meter); οἱ κ. the Higher Powers, [Refs 5th c.BC+ ([prev\. author] “fragment” 10, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Sph.” 216b, “Euthd.” 291a, etc.; τὰ κρείσσω, ={τὰ θεῖα}, 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Ion” 973; τὸ κ.)] the Almighty, Providence, [Refs 4th c.AD+ (Corp.Herm. 18.11, 4th c.AD: Julianus Imperator “Ep.” 204, 6th c.AD: Agathias Historicus et Epigrammaticus 1.16, 5th-6th c.AD: Procopius Gazaeus Rhetor “Pan.” p.492; τὰ κρείσσονα)] one's advantages, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ἡμῖν κρείσσω καταπροδοῦναι 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 4.10)].
3 with infinitive, οὔ τις ἐμεῖο κρείσσων.. δόμεναι no one has a better right to.., [Refs 8th c.BC+ (8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 21.345; οὐκ ἄλλος κ. παραμυθεῖσθαι Plato Philosophus [{5-6th c.BC}] “Politicus” 268b)]; κρεῖσσόν ἐστι with infinitive, 'tis better to.., [Refs 5th c.BC+ (κ. γάρ ἐστιν εἰσάπαξ θανεῖν ἢ.. πάσχειν κακῶς Aeschylus Tragicus [{4-5th c.BC}] “Prometheus Vinctus” 750, compare 624, 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.52, etc.; τὸ μὴ εἶναι κ. ἢ τὸ ζῆν κακῶς 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “fragment” 488, compare 4th-3rd c.BC: Apollodorus Comicus 6; also κρείσσων εἰμί)] with participle, κ. γὰρ ἦσθα μηκέτ᾽ ὢν ἢ ζῶν τυφλός thou wert better not alive, than living blind, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “OT” 1368, compare “Aj.” 635 (Lyric poetry); κ. ἦν ὁ ἀγὼν μὴ γεγενημένος 4th c.BC: Aeschines Orator 1.192, compare 1st c.BC: Dionysius Halicarnassensis 6.9.)]
II with genitive or ἤ, too great for, surpassing, beyond, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (ὕψος κ. ἐκπηδήματος Aeschylus Tragicus [{4-5th c.BC}] “Agamemnon” 1376)]; of evil deeds, κρείσσον᾽ ἀγχόνης too bad for hanging, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “OT” 1374; κρεῖσσον δεργμάτων)] too bad to look on, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hipp.” 1217; θαυμάτων [prev\. author] “Ba.” 667)]; λέγετι σιγῆς κρεῖσσον [Refs 5th c.BC+ ((κρέσσον “PSI” 9.1093) ἢ σιγὴν ἔχε 4th c.BC: Dionysius Tragicus 6; κρείσσον᾽ ἢ λέξαι λόγῳ τολμήματα 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Supplices” 844)]; κ. ἢ λόγοισιν (i.e. εἰπεῖν) [Refs ([prev\. author] “IT” 837; ἀναρχία κ. πυρός [prev\. author] “Hec.” 608)]; πρᾶγμα ἐλπίδος κ. γεγενημένον worse than one expected, [Refs 6th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.64; κ. λόγου τὸ κάλλος Xenophon Historicus [{5-6th c.BC}] “Memorabilia” 3.11.1; κ. τῆς ἡμετέρας δυνάμεως [prev\. author] “Cyr.” 7.5.9)].
III having control over, master of, especially of desires and passions, [Refs 6th c.BC+ (τῶν ἡδονῶν 3rd c.AD: Democritus Epigrammaticus 214; τοῦ ἔρωτος Xenophon Historicus [{5-6th c.BC}] “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 6.1.34)]; γαστρὸς καὶ κερδέων [Refs ([prev. work] 4.2.45; αὑτῶν)] over themselves, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Phdr.” 232a, +others; κ. χρημάτων)] superior to the influence of money, [Refs 6th c.BC+ (5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.60, 5th-6th c.BC: Isocrates Orator 1.19; τῶν συμμάχων κ. Xenophon Historicus [{5-6th c.BC}] “Respublica Atheniensium” 2.1)]; also, putting oneself above, [Refs 5th c.BC+ (κ. τοῦ δικαίου 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 3.84)]; κρείσσους ὄντες.. τῷ λογισμῷ ἐς τὸ ἀνέλπιστον τοῦ βεβαίου having reasoned themselves into an absolute belief of the hopelessness of certainty, [Refs 4th c.BC+ ([prev. work] 83; φαύλους καὶ κρείττους τῆς παιδείας, ={οὓς παιδευθῆναι ἀδύνατον} (just below), 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Pol.” 1316a9.)]
IV better, more excellent, [Refs 1st c.AD+ (ἁρμονίη ἀφανὴς φανερῆς κ. 1st c.AD: Heraclitus 54; κ. ἐπ᾽ ἀρετήν 3rd c.AD: Democritus Epigrammaticus 181)]; ὁ κρείττων λόγος (opposed to ὁ ἥσσων) [Refs 5th c.BC+ (5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Nu.” 113; κατὰ τὸ κ.)] in a higher sense, opposed to κατὰ τὸ χεῖρον, [Refs 5th c.AD+ (5th-6th c.AD: Damascius Philosophus “Pr.” 7.)]
V adverb [Refs 5th c.BC+ (κρεισσόνως 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 4.4.6, 4th c.AD: Iamblichus Philosophus “Myst.” 7.4; also κρεῖσσον 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 176 (Lyric poetry), “OGI” 90.31 (Rosetta, 2nd c.BC). (κρέσσων from κρέτ-yων, compare κρέτο; κάρτων and κάρρων from κάρτ-yων, compare κάρτο; κρείσσων (like μείζων))] probably took ει from ὀλείζων.)