I. c. gen. pers., inferior; esp. in force, weaker, “αἴθ᾽ ὅσον ἥ. εἰμὶ τόσον σέο φέρτερος εἴην” Il.16.722; of horses, 23.322, al.; “ῥώμῃ ἥσσονες τῶν Περσέων” Hdt.8 113, cf. 9.62; “γυναικῶν ἥσσονες” S.Ant.680; “Κύπριδος” E.Andr.631; ἔς τι in a thing, Hdt.3.102: c. inf. modi, ἥσς. τινὸς θέειν not so good at running, ib.105; οὐδενὸς ἥσς. γνῶναι second to none in judging, Th.2.60; ἱππεύειν ἥττ. τῶν ἡλίκων inferior to them in riding, X.Cyr. 1.3.15.
2. abs., οἱ ἥσς. the weaker party, A.Supp.203, 489; οὐχ ἥσσους γενέσθαι to have the best of it, Th.4.72; τὸ λαμβάνειν τὰ τῶν ἡττ. X.An.5.6.32: c. dat. modi, “ἥσσονες ναυμαχίῃ” Hdt.5.86: c. acc. modi, τὸν νοῦν ἥσς. S.El.1023, cf. X.Cyr.1.4.4; of things, τὸν ἥττω λόγον κρείττω ποιεῖν 'to make the worse appear the better cause', Pl.Ap.18b, cf. Ar.Nu.114: pl., οἱ ἥττους λόγοι ib.1042, Isoc.15.15; “τὸ ἧσς. ἀδικία νέμεις” E.Supp.379 (lyr.).
II. c. gen. rei, giving way or yielding to a thing, a slave to . . , τοῦ τῆσδ᾽ ἔρωτος εἰς ἅπανθ᾽ ἥσς. S.Tr.489; “τῶν αἰσχρῶν” Id.Ant.747; “ὀργῆς” Id.Fr.929; “γάμων” E.IA1354; “κέρδους” Ar.Pl.363; “ἡδονῶν” Pl.Prt.353c; “γαστρὸς ἢ οἴνου ἢ ἀφροδισίων ἢ πόνου ἢ ὕπνου” X.Mem.1.5.1; “χρημάτων” Democr. l.c., Theopomp.Hist.121: generally, unable to resist, “τοῦ πεπρωμένου” E.Hel.1660; “νόσων καὶ γήρως” Lys.2.78; οἱ ἥττους τῶν πόνων [ἵπποι] X.Eq.Mag.1.3, 2.78.
III. neut. ἧσσον, ἧττον, as Adv., less, “ὀλίγον δέ τί μ᾽ ἧσς. ἐτίμα” Od.15.365, cf. E.Hipp.264 (anap.); “ἧσσόν τι” Th. 3.75; “ἧσς. ἑτέρων” Id.1.84; ὁμοίως τε τρωθεὶς καὶ ἧσς. Hp.l.c.: mostly with Verbs, but also with Adjs., “ἀριστοκρατίαι . . αἱ μὲν ἧττ., αἱ δὲ μᾶλλον μόνιμοι” Arist.Pol.1307a14, cf. Mete.340b8: with a Comp., “ἧττ. ἀκριβέστερον” Id.Pr.957b8; “ἧττ. εὐληπτοτέραν” D.H.3.43 codd.: with neg., οὐχ ἧσς., οὐδ᾽ ἧσς., not a whit less, just as much, A.Ch.181, 708, Th.1.8; οὐδὲν ἧσς., μηδὲν ἧσς., S.Aj.276, 1329; for τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττ., v. μάλα.
