ἐλάσσων (in John and Romans) or ἐλαττῶν (in Hebrews, 1 Timothy; cf. Buttmann, 7), ἐλασσον (comparitive of the epic adjective ἐλαχύς equivalent to μικρός) (from Homer down), less either in age (younger), Rom_9:12; or in rank, Heb_7:7; or in excellence, worse (opposed to καλός), Joh_2:10. Neuter ἔλαττον, adverbially, less (namely, than etc., A. V. under; cf. Winers Grammar, 239 (225); 595f, (554); Buttmann, 127f (112)): 1Ti_5:9.

ἐλάσσων elassōn 4x ἐλάττων (G1784) is the Attic form of this word. Twice it is used with σσ ( Joh_2:10 ; Rom_9:12 ) and twice with ττ ( 1Ti_5:9 ; Heb_7:7 ). It is used as the comparative of μικρός , l ess; less in age, younger, Rom_9:12 ; less in dignity, inferior, Heb_7:7 ; less in quality, inferior, worse, Joh_2:10 ; 1Ti_5:9

ἐλάσσων (-ττων , Heb_7:7 , WH , 1Ti_5:9 ), -ον (formed, with superl . ἐλάχιστος , from the epic ἐλαχύς , little, and serving as compar . of μικρός ), [in LXX for H4591 , etc.;] less , in age, rank or quality: Joh_2:19 , Rom_9:12 ( LXX ), Heb_7:7 ; neut ., -ον , adverbially: 1Ti_5:9 .†

ἐλάσσων [page 201] In P Petr III. 32( f ) .10 a complaint is brought against a tax-collector that he makes agreements at too low a rate with certain persons who are liable to the police tax ἐξ ἐλάττ̣[ονο ]ς συνχωρήσεις ποιεῖται : cf. P Par 63 .28 (B.C. 165) (= P Petr III. p. 20) ἕκαστον αὐτῶν γεω [ργ ]ήσειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλασσον , that each man is personally liable for field labour on the smaller assessment (Mahaffy), ib. .120 (= ib. p. 28) τοῖς δυναμένοις οὐκ ἔλασσον τούτου μεριστέον , not less than this (assessment) is to be allotted to those who are capable ( id. ), and P Oxy II. 237 viii. 11 (A.D. 186) ἐπ᾽ ἐλλάττονι συμβήσεσθαι , to accept less than the full amount (Edd.). So P Giss I. 61 .18 (A.D. 119) ἀξιοῦμ̣ε̣[ν ] . . . τὴν ἐξε̣τασιν ποιη̣σασθαι πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν ἔλασσον τῶι φίσ̣[κωι ] ἐπακολουθῆσαι , with which the editor contrasts P Oxy II. 279 .3 (A.D. 44 5) πλεῖον περιποιῆσαι τοῖς δη [μοσ ]ίοις . For a direct antithesis with πλείων , see PSI III. 187 .10 (iv/A.D.) μισθώσασθ [αι ] . . . [ἀρ ]ούρας δέκα ἢ ὅσας ἐὰν ὦσ [ι ] ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖον ἢ ἔ [λασσον , and for a similar antithesis with μείζων see P Ryl II. 77 .39 (A.D. 192) Ὀ . εἶπ (εν )· ἀναδεξάμενος τὴν μείζονα ἀρχὴν οὐκ ὀφείλει τὴν ἐλάττον᾽ ἀποφεύγειν , O. said : A person who has offered to undertake the greater office ought, not to shun the lesser (Edd.). For the corresponding subst. cf. e.g. P Tebt I. 97 .1 (B.C. 118) where an account of payments in kind is headed list of payments εἰς τὴν μί [σ (θωσιν ) τοῦ ] αὐτ [οῦ ] (ἔτους ) εἰς τὸ ἐλάσσωμα , on account of leases of the said year to meet the deficiency, and BGU IV. 1060 .26 (time of Augustus) ἀξιοῦμεν ἐν μηδενὶ ἐλαττώμ̣α̣τ̣ι̣ ἡμᾶς πρόνοιαν γενέσθαι . On the interchange of -σσ - and -ττ - see Mayser Gr. p. 223, and Moulton Gr. ii. § 43.

ἐλάσσων "smaller, less", formed from ἐλαχύς (with Sup. ἐλάχιστος, q. v.), but serving as comp. to μικρός, Il. : ἔλασσον ἔχειν to have "the worse, be worse off", τινί "in a thing", Hdt. , Dem. ; so, ἐλάττω γίγνεσθαι Ar. c. gen. pers. "worse than, inferior to", Thuc. , etc.; but c. gen. rei, like ἥσσων, "subservient to", Xen. in neut. with Preps., περὶ ἐλάσσονος ποιεῖσθαι to consider of "less account", Hdt. ; παρ᾽ ἔλαττον ἡγεῖσθαι Plat. ; δι᾽ ἐλάττονος "at less distance", Thuc. of Number, "fewer", οἱ ἐλάσσονες "the smaller number", Hdt. , Thuc. neut. ἔλασσον, as adv. "less", Aesch. , etc.

ἐλάσσων (-ττων, Heb_7:7, WH, 1Ti_5:9), -ον (formed, with superl. ἐλάχιστος, from the epic ἐλαχύς, little, and serving as compar. of μικρός), [in LXX for מָעַט, etc. ;] less, in age, rank or quality: Jhn.2:19, Rom.9:12" (LXX), Heb.7:7; neut., -ον, adverbially: 1Ti.5:9.† (AS)