A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature/מעט - מעים
Pi. מעט, מיעט 1) to diminsh, reduce; to do little. Ab. 1V, 10 וכ׳ בעססק ממעט הוי do less business, and busy thy- self with the Lavw. M. Kat. 22a, v. עסק. Taan. I, 7 ממעטין וכ׳ במשא we must reduce business transactions, build- ing &c. Ib. IV, 6 בשמחה ממעטין אב משנכנס with the be- ginning of the month of Ab we must reduce rjoicing. Hull. 60b עצמך את ומעטי לכי go and make thyself smaller (be reduced). Snh. 17a עצמיכם ומיעטתם הואיל because you made yourselves small (were modest); Num. R. s. 15. Tosef. Erub. IX (VI), 15 וכ׳ באבנים מיוכטה if he reduced the size of the gap by means of stones &c. Y. ib. VII, beg. 24b בכלים ממעטין you may use utensils for reducing the opening. Bab. ib. 77b ממעט effects the reduction, i. e. puts the two adjoining places in the legal condition of dwellings connected by a gate; a. fr. -- 2) (interpret.) to limit, aualify, exxclude frommm the rule. Shebu. 26a דורש היה ומיעט בריבה התורה כל את interpreted the entire Law on the principle of lt includes and it excludes', i.. e. on the principle that if, in the Biblical text, a specification is preceded and followed by general terms, both an ex tension (דיבוי) and a limitation (מיעוט) must be found; e. g. ib. (ref. to Lev. V, 4) וכ׳ מי׳ . . להרע . . . נפש או or if a soul swears, this is a general expression, 'for bad or for good', this limits (the sphere of the law to things which are either an advantage or a disadvantage); what- soever it be &c.', this is again a generalization; now what does it include? All kinds of words (vows); וכ׳ מ׳ מ׳ ופו and what does it exclude? It excludes a religious acttthe vow of doing a forbidden thing or not doing a euff. manded thing). Sifra Tsav, ch. XV, Par. 11 מיעטתים אם וכ׳ בתנופה אמנטם לא מרובה מסמיכה if I exclude them (the gentiles) from the privilege of laying hands on the sacriffice, which has a wider sphere of application, must I not exclude them from the privilege of waving &c.?; a. fr. - Part. pass. ממועט, v. מועט. Hif. המניט to do litttle, less. Ber. 17a אני תאמר שמא ממעיט והוא מרבה lest you say, I do much good, and he but little; וכ׳ הממעיט ואחד המרבה אחד שניננו we have learned, whether one does much or little (they are equally worthy), provided one directs his heart &c.; Men. XIII, 11; a. fr. Nithpa. נתמעט, Hithpa. התמעטtto be diminished, rreduced. Erub. VII, 5 וכ׳ מעשרה התבן נ׳ if the pile of straw has been reduced to less than ten handbreadths. Ib. 54b; Ab. Zar. 19a מתמעט he will become less (will decline in learn- ing). Arakh. 3)b כספו ׳ if his value was reduced. Tosef, Sot. XIV, 10 וכ׳ הימים נתמעטו the days were reduced, and the years shortened. Ib. וישראל להתרבות הגוים התחילו להתמגט the nations began to grow and the Israelites to be reduced (in rank). Pesik. R. s. 14 ידו נתמעטה he became reduced in fortune. Midr. Till. to Ps. XII, end מתמעטת כפשם עליהם their soul within them shrinks, i e. they feel jealous and angry; Yalk. ib. 659; Lev. R. s. 32, beg. מתמענת (corr. acc.). Sifra l. c. תנופה נתמעטת the sphere of the act of waving is the smaller one; סמיכה נתמעטה the laying ou. of hands has the smaller sphers; a. fr. -- Erub. 80b מאי נתמטמט נתמעט it was reduuced' (Mish. VII, 7) means, it was reduced to atoms, v. מטמט. - B. Mets. 71a מתמעטין נככיוו, . מוט h. - Tosef. Mmkv. VI (VII), 14 מתמעטין, v. מעך.
מעט I ch., Pa. מעט same, to reduce; to exclude. Yoma. 74a וכ׳ למ׳ . . . מאי למעוטי this none but' is to exclude what (whom) . . . It excludes the king; Shebu. 31a Ms. M. (ed. לאפוקי); a. fr. Ithpe. אימעיט to be reduced; to be excluded. Erub. 79b מאיתמול דא׳ when its size was reduced the day before; א. G.
מעט II m. (b. h.; preced.) a little, little. Ab. I, 15 הרבה ועשה מ׳ אמור promise little and do much. Sabb. 31b (ref. to Koh. VII, 16) לירשע מ׳ הא but a little wrong one may do; a. e. -V. מועט.
מעטן, מטין m. (עטן) vat or pit where olives are packed until they form a viscid mass. Toh. IX, 1 המ׳ יעת the (intended) exudation produced by lying in the vat, opp. הקופה זיעת the (unwelcome) exudation originating in the pile or basket, v. זוע h. Ib. 9; Tosef. ib. XI, 1. Tosef. Maasr. III, 7 מעטין. Ib. 13, a. e. מעוטן. Y. Dem. VI, 2.a top זיתים של מ׳ a mass of olives from the vat; a. fr.
מעטנא ch. same. -Pl. מעטני. Snh. 11b(Rashi מעטיני); Tosef. ib. II, 6 מעוטני; Y. ib. I, 18a top; Y. Maas. Sh. V, 56a top.
מטפת f. (עטף II) wrap. Tosef. Kel. B. Bath. V, 4.
מעי, v. מעה.
מעיזי, מעיזיא, v. מעזי.
מעיילא, v. מעלא.
מעיים, מעיין, v. מה.
מעיין, מיינא, v. קיןs, ננאze.
מעיל, v. מעל.
מעיל m. (b. h.; עול) cloak, robe. Ruth R. to IV, 8 (ref. to I Sam. XV, 27) מי של מעילו whose cloak (did Samuel seize and rend)?; Midr. Sam. ch. XVIII; a. e. -- Esp. the high priestt's robe. Yoma VII, 5. Zeb. 88b; Arakh. 16a; 8. e.
מעיל, מעילא ch. same. Targ. I Sam. II, 18. Targ. Es. XXXVIII, 4; a. fr. -- Pi. מעילין. Targ. Ez. XXV, 16.
מעילה f. (מעל; b. h. מעל) false dealing, bad faith. Sifre Num. 7 (ref. to Num. V, 12, sq.) ערוה דבר על ע׳ יaה this (context) proves that ma al refers to marital faith-- lessness (not to pecuniary defalcation). Ib. . מ׳ אין שיקור אלא m'ʿillaah everywhere (in the Scripture) has the meaning of false dealing; Num. R. s. 8. B. Bath. 88b וכ׳ למ׳ חטא הקדים זה this one (who robbed a man) makes sin precede faithlessness (ref. to Lev. V, 21), whereas that one (who robbed the Temple) makes faithlessness precede sin (ib. 15); a. fr. -- Pl, מעילות. Num. R. s. 9 (ref. to Num. V, 12) וכ׳ הללו מ׳ שתי why this repetition of the stem מעל - Esp. m'ʿilah,the law concerning the unlawful use of sacred property (Lev. V, 15 sq). Tosef. Meil. I, 5 מן . הציל 109c