ἄριστος

See also: άριστος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éristos (“fittest, most fitting, most suitable”), the superlative of *h₂er- (“to fit, be suitable”). Compare ἀραρίσκω (ararískō, “to join, fasten”); also cognate with Hittite [script needed] (arra-, “wash”), Tocharian A yär- (“wash”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.ris.tos/ → /ˈa.ris.tos/ → /ˈa.ris.tos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.ris.tos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ris.tos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ris.tos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ris.tos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ris.tos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́ρῐστος • (áristos) m (feminine ᾰ̓ρῐ́στη, neuter ᾰ̓́ρῐστον); first/second declension

1. superlative degree of ᾰ̓γᾰθός (agathós): best

Usage notes

Used as the superlative of ᾰ̓γᾰθός (agathós, “good, brave, noble, moral”) , along with βέλτῐστος (béltistos) and κρᾰ́τῐστος (krátistos).

Declension

First and second declension of ἀ̆ρῐστος; ἀ̆ρῐ́στη; ἀ̆ρῐστον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ἀ̆ρῐστος aristos	ἀ̆ρῐ́στη arístē	ἀ̆ρῐστον ariston		ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō	ἀ̆ρῐ́στᾱ arístā	ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō		ἀ̆ρῐστοι aristoi	ἀ̆ρῐσται aristai	ἀ̆ρῐστᾰ arista
Genitive		ἀ̆ρῐ́στου arístou	ἀ̆ρῐ́στης arístēs	ἀ̆ρῐ́στου arístou		ἀ̆ρῐ́στοιν arístoin	ἀ̆ρῐ́σταιν arístain	ἀ̆ρῐ́στοιν arístoin		ἀ̆ρῐ́στων arístōn	ἀ̆ρῐ́στων arístōn	ἀ̆ρῐ́στων arístōn
Dative		ἀ̆ρῐ́στῳ arístōi	ἀ̆ρῐ́στῃ arístēi	ἀ̆ρῐ́στῳ arístōi		ἀ̆ρῐ́στοιν arístoin	ἀ̆ρῐ́σταιν arístain	ἀ̆ρῐ́στοιν arístoin		ἀ̆ρῐ́στοις arístois	ἀ̆ρῐ́σταις arístais	ἀ̆ρῐ́στοις arístois
Accusative		ἀ̆ρῐστον ariston	ἀ̆ρῐ́στην arístēn	ἀ̆ρῐστον ariston		ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō	ἀ̆ρῐ́στᾱ arístā	ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō		ἀ̆ρῐ́στους arístous	ἀ̆ρῐ́στᾱς arístās	ἀ̆ρῐστᾰ arista
Vocative		ἀ̆ρῐστε ariste	ἀ̆ρῐ́στη arístē	ἀ̆ρῐστον ariston		ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō	ἀ̆ρῐ́στᾱ arístā	ἀ̆ρῐ́στω arístō		ἀ̆ρῐστοι aristoi	ἀ̆ρῐσται aristai	ἀ̆ρῐστᾰ arista
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ἀ̆ρῐστᾰ arista				—				—
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Ἀρισταίνετος (Aristaínetos)
• Ἀρισταῖος (Aristaîos)
• Ἀρίσταιχμος (Arístaikhmos)
• Ἀρίστανδρος (Arístandros)
• Ἀρίσταρχος (Arístarkhos)
• Ἀριστεύς (Aristeús)
• ᾰ̓ρῐστεύς (aristeús)
• ἀριστεύω (aristeúō)
• Ἀριστόβουλος (Aristóboulos)
• Ἀριστογένης (Aristogénēs)
• Ἀριστόδημος (Aristódēmos)
• Ἀριστοκλῆς (Aristoklês)
• Ἀριστόμαχος (Aristómakhos)
• Ἀριστόνοος (Aristónoos)
• Ἀριστόξενος (Aristóxenos)
• Ἀριστοτέλης (Aristotélēs)
• Ᾰ̓ρῐστότῑμος (Aristótīmos)
• Ἀριστοφάνης (Aristophánēs)
• Ἀριστώνυμος (Aristṓnumos)
• ὤριστος (ṓristos)

 

Further reading

• “ἄριστος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄριστος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἄριστος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἄριστος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄριστος in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἄριστος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• “ἄριστος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• ἄριστος in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • best idem, page 75.
  • peerless idem, page 602.
• Joseph Harold Greenberg, Indo-European and its closest relatives. 2. Lexicon. p.23