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(
symbol characters)illaah 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(symbol characters)ilah,the law concerning the unlawful use of
sacred property (Lev. V, 15 sq). Tosef. Meil. I, 5 מן . הציל
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