καλός

See also: κάλος, κάλως, and καλώς

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κᾱ́λος (kā́los) — Aeolic
• καλϝός (kalwós) — Boeotian

Etymology

From earlier καλϝός (kalwós), probably from Proto-Indo-European *kal-wo-s, formed from *kal- (“beautiful”).

Cognate to Sanskrit कल्य (kalya), Sanskrit कल्याण (kalyā́ṇa), Albanian kolmë.

Pronunciation

In most cases:

 

• IPA^(key): /ka.lós/ → /kaˈlos/ → /kaˈlos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ka.lós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/

In epic poetry and in some other cases:

 

• IPA^(key): /kaː.lós/ → /kaˈlos/ → /kaˈlos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kaː.lós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/

Adjective

καλός • (kalós) m (feminine καλή, neuter καλόν); first/second declension

1. beautiful, lovely
2. good, quality, useful
3. good, right, moral, virtuous, noble

Usage notes

In epic and early iambic poetry, this word almost always has a long (heavy) first syllable. This was originally a consequence of the digamma — καλϝός (kalwós) — which resulted in a syllable ending in a consonant: /kal.ˈwos/. But, once the digamma was lost, the heavy syllable was reanalyzed as being the consequence of a long vowel in the first syllable: κᾱλός (kālós).

• 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.96–97:

  ὣς εἰποῦσ’ ὑπὸ ποσσὶν ἐδήσατο κᾱλὰ [= καλϝά] πέδῑλα,
  ἀμβρόσια χρῡ́σεια,

  hṑs eipoûs’ hupò possìn edḗsato kālà [= kalwá] pédīla,
  ambrósia khrū́seia,

  So saying, she tied beautiful immortal golden sandals under her feet,

In lyric poetry and tragedy, the α is short; in elegiac, epigrammatic, and bucolic poets it is variable.

Inflection

First and second declension of κᾰλός; κᾰλή; κᾰλόν (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		κᾰλός kalós	κᾰλή kalḗ	κᾰλόν kalón		κᾰλώ kalṓ	κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́	κᾰλώ kalṓ		κᾰλοί kaloí	κᾰλαί kalaí	κᾰλᾰ́ kalá
Genitive		κᾰλοῦ kaloû	κᾰλῆς kalês	κᾰλοῦ kaloû		κᾰλοῖν kaloîn	κᾰλαῖν kalaîn	κᾰλοῖν kaloîn		κᾰλῶν kalôn	κᾰλῶν kalôn	κᾰλῶν kalôn
Dative		κᾰλῷ kalôi	κᾰλῇ kalêi	κᾰλῷ kalôi		κᾰλοῖν kaloîn	κᾰλαῖν kalaîn	κᾰλοῖν kaloîn		κᾰλοῖς kaloîs	κᾰλαῖς kalaîs	κᾰλοῖς kaloîs
Accusative		κᾰλόν kalón	κᾰλήν kalḗn	κᾰλόν kalón		κᾰλώ kalṓ	κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́	κᾰλώ kalṓ		κᾰλούς kaloús	κᾰλᾱ́ς kalā́s	κᾰλᾰ́ kalá
Vocative		κᾰλέ kalé	κᾰλή kalḗ	κᾰλόν kalón		κᾰλώ kalṓ	κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́	κᾰλώ kalṓ		κᾰλοί kaloí	κᾰλαί kalaí	κᾰλᾰ́ kalá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		κᾰλῶς kalôs				καλλίων kallíōn				κάλλιστος kállistos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of κᾱλός; κᾱλή; κᾱλόν (Epic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		κᾱλός kālós	κᾱλή kālḗ	κᾱλόν kālón		κᾱλώ kālṓ	κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́	κᾱλώ kālṓ		κᾱλοί kāloí	κᾱλαί kālaí	κᾱλᾰ́ kālá
Genitive		κᾱλοῦ / κᾱλοῖο / κᾱλόο kāloû / kāloîo / kālóo	κᾱλῆς kālês	κᾱλοῦ / κᾱλοῖο / κᾱλόο kāloû / kāloîo / kālóo		κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin	κᾱλαῖν / κᾱλαῖῐν / κᾱλῇῐν kālaî(i)n / kālêiin	κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin		κᾱλῶν kālôn	κᾱλᾱ́ων / κᾱλέ͜ων / κᾱλῶν kālā́ōn / kālé͜ōn / kālôn	κᾱλῶν kālôn
Dative		κᾱλῷ kālôi	κᾱλῇ kālêi	κᾱλῷ kālôi		κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin	κᾱλαῖν / κᾱλαῖῐν / κᾱλῇῐν kālaî(i)n / kālêiin	κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin		κᾱλοῖσῐ / κᾱλοῖσῐν / κᾱλοῖς kāloîsi(n) / kāloîs	κᾱλῇσῐ / κᾱλῇσῐν / κᾱλῇς / κᾱλαῖς kālêisi(n) / kālêis / kālaîs	κᾱλοῖσῐ / κᾱλοῖσῐν / κᾱλοῖς kāloîsi(n) / kāloîs
Accusative		κᾱλόν kālón	κᾱλήν kālḗn	κᾱλόν kālón		κᾱλώ kālṓ	κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́	κᾱλώ kālṓ		κᾱλούς kāloús	κᾱλᾱ́ς kālā́s	κᾱλᾰ́ kālá
Vocative		κᾱλέ kālé	κᾱλή kālḗ	κᾱλόν kālón		κᾱλώ kālṓ	κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́	κᾱλώ kālṓ		κᾱλοί kāloí	κᾱλαί kālaí	κᾱλᾰ́ kālá
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		κᾱλῶς kālôs				καλλίων kallíōn				κάλλιστος kállistos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• καλόπους (kalópous, “having beautiful feet”)

Related terms

• κάλλος (kállos)

Descendants

• Greek: καλός (kalós, “good”)
• Arabic: قالون (“Qālūn”)

Further reading

• “καλός, ή, όν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “καλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “καλός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• καλός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• καλός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “καλός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G2570 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• καλός 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.
  • admirable idem, page 12.
  • artistic idem, page 42.
  • auspicious idem, page 53.
  • beautiful idem, page 68.
  • buxom idem, page 107.
  • capital idem, page 111.
  • comely idem, page 145.
  • creditable idem, page 183.
  • elegant idem, page 265.
  • estimable idem, page 283.
  • excellent idem, page 288.
  • exquisite idem, page 296.
  • fair idem, page 302.
  • favourable idem, page 311.
  • fine idem, page 321.
  • fortunate idem, page 340.
  • good idem, page 366.
  • goodly idem, page 367.
  • handsome idem, page 383.
  • happy idem, page 384.
  • high-principled idem, page 400.
  • honourable idem, page 405.
  • hopeful idem, page 405.
  • lovely idem, page 502.
  • lucky idem, page 504.
  • noble idem, page 559.
  • ornamental idem, page 580.
  • picturesque idem, page 611.
  • plausible idem, page 618.
  • pomantic idem, page 625.
  • principled idem, page 641.
  • promising idem, page 653.
  • propitious idem, page 653.
  • reputable idem, page 699.
  • righteous idem, page 715.
  • skilful idem, page 780.
  • specious idem, page 799.
  • spruce idem, page 806.
  • virtuous idem, page 954.
  • well-favoured idem, page 974.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κᾰλός (“beautiful, morally beautiful, of good quality”), from Proto-Indo-European *kal-wo-s, form of *kal- (“beautiful”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈlos/
• Hyphenation: κα‧λός
• Homophone: καλώς (kalós)

Adjective

καλός • (kalós) m (feminine καλή, neuter καλό)

1. good

   Antonym: κακός (kakós)

2. nice, likeable

Declension

Declension of καλός

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	καλός (kalós)	καλή (kalí)	καλό (kaló)		καλοί (kaloí)	καλές (kalés)	καλά (kalá)
genitive	καλού (kaloú)	καλής (kalís)	καλού (kaloú)		καλών (kalón)	καλών (kalón)	καλών (kalón)
accusative	καλό (kaló)	καλή (kalí)	καλό (kaló)		καλούς (kaloús)	καλές (kalés)	καλά (kalá)
vocative	καλέ (kalé)	καλή (kalí)	καλό (kaló)		καλοί (kaloí)	καλές (kalés)	καλά (kalá)

Derivations:
Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο καλός, etc.)
Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο καλός, etc.)

Degrees of comparison by suffixation

comparative (?) singular plural masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter nominative καλύτερος (kalýteros) καλύτερη (kalýteri) καλύτερο (kalýtero) καλύτεροι (kalýteroi) καλύτερες (kalýteres) καλύτερα (kalýtera) genitive καλύτερου (kalýterou) καλύτερης (kalýteris) καλύτερου (kalýterou) καλύτερων (kalýteron) καλύτερων (kalýteron) καλύτερων (kalýteron) accusative καλύτερο (kalýtero) καλύτερη (kalýteri) καλύτερο (kalýtero) καλύτερους (kalýterous) καλύτερες (kalýteres) καλύτερα (kalýtera) vocative καλύτερε (kalýtere) καλύτερη (kalýteri) καλύτερο (kalýtero) καλύτεροι (kalýteroi) καλύτερες (kalýteres) καλύτερα (kalýtera) Derivations: relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο καλύτερος", etc) absolute superlative (?) singular plural masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter nominative άριστος (áristos) άριστη (áristi) άριστο (áristo) άριστοι (áristoi) άριστες (áristes) άριστα (árista) genitive άριστου (áristou) άριστης (áristis) άριστου (áristou) άριστων (áriston) άριστων (áriston) άριστων (áriston) accusative άριστο (áristo) άριστη (áristi) άριστο (áristo) άριστους (áristous) άριστες (áristes) άριστα (árista) vocative άριστε (áriste) άριστη (áristi) άριστο (áristo) άριστοι (áristoi) άριστες (áristes) άριστα (árista) Notes: Alternative learned absolute form κάλλιστος. Also, the less common καλότατος.

Derived terms

• καλό ταξίδι (kaló taxídi, “bon voyage”, literally “good journey”)
• καλή όρεξη (kalí órexi, “bon appetit”, literally “good appetite”)
• καλό μήνα (kaló mína, literally “good month”) (a greeting for the new month)

Related terms

• καλό (kaló)

Noun

καλός • (kalós) m (plural καλοί)

1. the good man

   Οι καλοί θα πάνε στον Παράδεισο. ― Oi kaloí tha páne ston Parádeiso. ― The good will go to Heaven.

2. goodie, goody
3. sweetheart

Declension

Declension of καλός

	singular	plural
nominative	καλός (kalós)	καλοί (kaloí)
genitive	καλού (kaloú)	καλών (kalón)
accusative	καλό (kaló)	καλούς (kaloús)
vocative	καλέ (kalé)	καλοί (kaloí)