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Definition 2024


πάλαι

πάλαι

Ancient Greek

Adverb

πάλαι (pálai)

  1. (of a point in the past)
    1. long ago, in days past
    2. Of past time closer to the present: before, earlier, a while ago
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Cr. 43.b
        Σωκράτης: ἄρτι δὲ ἥκεις ἢ πάλαι;
        Κρίτων: ἐπιεικῶς πάλαι.
        Socrates: Did you arrive just now or a while ago?
        Crito: Quite a while ago.
    3. with a present-tense verb since a point in the past, for a long time
      • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 93.b
        τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ὃ πάλαι ζητοῦμεν ἐγώ τε καὶ Μένων.
        This is what Meno and I have been trying to figure out for a while.

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