malista

Included with: μάλα [μᾰλᾰ;
but Refs 8th c.BC+ sometimes uses the ultima long before λ, Refs 8th c.BC+; before μ, Refs adverb very, exceedingly, prefixed or subjoined to Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs:
1 strengthening the word with which it stands,
1.a with adjectives, in Refs 8th c.BC+ very many, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. πᾶσα, μ. πάντα, every one, all together, Refs 8th c.BC+; μάλ᾽ ἀσκηθής all unhurt, Refs; ἀβληχρὸς μ. τοῖος quite gentle, Refs; σαρδάνιον μ. τοῖον a quite sardonic smile,Refs; ἐμέο πρότερος μ. actually before me, Refs 8th c.BC+; later, μ. φιλόσοφοι, πλάτανος μάλ᾽ ἀμφιλαφής, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+ very old, Refs 5th c.BC+
1.b with Advs., πάγχυ μ., μ. πάγχυ, quite utterly, Refs 8th c.BC+; εὖ μ. right well, Refs 8th c.BC+; μάλ᾽ αὐτίκα (see. αὐτίκα); μάλ᾽ αἰεί for ever and aye, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἄχρι μ. κνέφαος until quite dark, Refs 8th c.BC+; μάλ᾽ ὧδε just in this way, Refs; μ. διαμπερές right through, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. μόλις (see. μόλις); to express repeated action, μάλ᾽ αὖθις Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. alone, ἔα, ἔα μ. Refs 8th c.BC+
1.c with Verbs, μήτ᾽ ἄρ με μάλ᾽ αἴνεε Refs 8th c.BC+; ἡ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἡνιόχευεν drove carefully, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ... προπέμπει in earnest, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 strengthening an assertion, νῦν σε μ. χρὴ αἰχμητὴν ἔμεναι, i.e. now or never, Refs 8th c.BC+; τῷ κε μάλ᾽ ἤ κεν μεῖνε.. then doubtless he would have stayed, Refs 8th c.BC+; σοὶ δὲ μάλ᾽ ἕψομ᾽ ἐγώ yes indeed.., Refs 8th c.BC+; ἀλλὰ μάλ᾽ ὤφελλες why plainly.., Refs 8th c.BC+.. now in very truth, Refs 8th c.BC+
3 in Refs 8th c.BC+ if wrath come on him ever so much, Refs 8th c.BC+; also μ. περ with participle, μ. περ μεμαώς though desiring never so much, Refs; καὶ μ. περ Refs 8th c.BC+
4 in Attic dialect frequently in answers, yes, certainly, μ. γε Refs 5th c.BC+; καὶ μ. ἐπαύσατο certainly it stopped, Refs
II comparative μᾶλλον [ᾱ by nature, Hdn.Gr.Refsμάλιον [ᾰ] only in Refs 7th c.BC+; late Doric dialect μαλλότερον Refs 5th c.AD+:—more, rather, Refs 8th c.BC+ more than is expedient, Refs 5th c.BC+; παντὸς μ. most assuredly, Refs 5th c.BC+: denoting a constant increase, more and more, sometimes doubled, μ. μ. Refs 5th c.BC+: in positive sense, exceedingly, κηρόθι μ. Refs 8th c.BC+ —Usage:
II.1 frequently strengthened by other words, πολὺ μ. NT+8th c.BC+ somewhat more, μ. τι περιημέκτεε Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 sometimes with a second comparative, ῥηΐτεροι μ. Refs 8th c.BC+
II.3 μᾶλλον δέ much more.., or rather.., to correct a statement already made, ὁ δεσπότης πέπραγεν εὐτυχέστατα, μ. δ᾽ ὁ Πλοῦτος αὐτός Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐχὶ μ. ἤ.. not so, but rather so.., Refs 5th c.BC+
II.4 μ. δὲ καὶ ἡσυχαίτερα more or less violent, Refs
II.5 οὐδὲν μ. none the more,Refs 5th c.BC+; μηδέν τι μ. ἤ.. Refs 5th c.BC+
II.6 μ. ἤ.. followed by οὐ in comparisons, where preference implies rejection or denial, πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἤ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους Refs 5th c.BC+: preceded by another negative, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.7 τὸ μ. καὶ ἧττον, a form of argument, a fortiori, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.8 παντὸς μ., see at {πᾶς} Refs
III superlative μάλιστα most of all, above all, Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. μὲν.., ἔπειτα or ἔπειτα δέ.., first and above all.., next.., Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. μὲν.., δεύτερον δὲ.. Refs 4th c.BC+; μ. μὲν.., εἰ δὲ μὴ.. Refs 5th c.BC+; μάλιστα μὲν.., μᾶλλον μέντοι.. Refs 5th c.BC+; μάλιστα.., εἰ μὴ δ᾽.. Refs 5th c.BC+; δοκέων μιν μ. ταύτης ἂν πείθεσθαι certainly, Refs 5th c.BC+; τί μ.; what precisely? Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ μ. πάντων the supreme reality, Refs 3rd c.AD+; τὸ μ. εἶναι the highest degree of being, Refs
III.1 strengthened, ὡς μ. certainly, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2 with the Article, ἐς τὰ μ. in the highest degree, Refs 5th c.BC+; εἰ τὰ μ. ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς if they were ever so true, Refs 4th c.BC+; εἰ τὰ μ. μὴ τινές, ἀλλὰ πάντες.. if (to put an extreme case) not some, but all.., Refs; ἀνὴρ δόκιμος ὁμοῖα τῷ μ. as famous as he that is most [famous], Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2.b ἐν τοῖς μ. especially, as much as any, Refs 5th c.BC+: with a superlative, ἐν τοῖς μ. ὠμότατος Refs 2nd c.AD+
III.3 added to a superlative (see. μάλα Refs 8th c.BC+
III.4 μάλιστα for μᾶλλον, μ. τῆς κόρης Refs 5th c.BC+
III.5 with numerals, in round numbers, about, Refs 5th c.BC+; πεντήκοντα μάλισταRefs 5th c.BC+; ἐς μέσον μάλιστά κῃ about the middle, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. σφᾶς μεσοῦν δειπνοῦντας that they were about the middle of supper, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.6 in answers, most certainly, Refs 5th c.BC+. (Orig. perhaps fiercely, compare μαλερός.)

H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.