πάλαι — of old · Greek word G3819

A long ago, π. οὔ τι νέον γε Il. 9.527; π. κοὐ νεωστί S. El. 1049; π. πολλὰ ἤδη ἔτη Pl. Ap. 18b; π. ποτέ once upon a time, Ar. Pl. 1002, Pl. Criti. 110a: freq. with pres. of an act lasting to the pres., ὁρῶ.. π. I have long seen, S. Aj. 5; ἰχνεύω π. ib. 20, cf. Ph. 589, Pl. Men. 91a, Ar. Pl. 257, etc.; but, π. ποτ’ ὄντες ye who were long ago, Id. V. 1060: also with pf., τέθνηχ’ ὑμῖν π. S. Ph. 1030, cf. A. Pr. 998, Ar. Nu. 556: with impf. of an act lasting to a past time, ἔχεν π. had long been holding it, Il. 23.871, cf. Eup. 11; ἔχεις π. ὧν ἐπεθύμεις Theoc. 10.17: with Art., τὸ π. Hdt. 1.5, 7.74, 95, 142, Th. 1.5, etc.; ἀπὸ π. BGU 1036.24 (ii A. D.).

2 like an Adj. with Art. and Noun, οἱ π. φῶτες men of old, Pi. I. 2.1; Κάδμου τοῦ π. νέα τροφή S. OT 1; τοῦ πρόσθε Κάδμου τοῦ π. τ’ Ἀγήνορος ib. 268; τὰ καινὰ τοῖς π. τεκμαίρεται ib. 916, cf. Tr. 1165, El. 1490, etc.; τὰ π. D. 19.276 (nisi leg. παλαί’); οἱ π. the ancients, opp. οἱ νῦν, Arist. Metaph. 1069a29.

II before, opp. the present, sts. of time just past, ἠμὲν π. ἠδ’ ἔτι καὶ νῦν Il. 9.105, cf. S. Ant. 181: hence, not long ago, just now, like ἄρτι, οἱ π. λόγοι A. Pr. 845; ὁ π. λόγος the reason just given, Arist. Pol. 1282a15, cf. 1282b7; π. σοὶ ἔλεγον X. Oec. 19.17, cf. 18.10; but opp. ἄρτι, Pl. Tht. 142a.