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

1. superlative degree of ᾰ̓γᾰθός (ăgăthós): best

Usage notes

Used as the superlative of ᾰ̓γᾰθός (ăgăthós, “good, brave, noble, moral”) , along with βέλτῐστος (béltĭstos) and κρᾰ́τῐστος (krắtĭstos).

Declension

First and second declension of ᾰ̓́ρῐστος; ᾰ̓ρῐ́στη; ᾰ̓́ρῐστον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́ρῐστος ắrĭstos	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στη ărĭ́stē	ᾰ̓́ρῐστον ắrĭston		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στᾱ ărĭ́stā	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō		ᾰ̓́ρῐστοι ắrĭstoi	ᾰ̓́ρῐσται ắrĭstai	ᾰ̓́ρῐστᾰ ắrĭstă
Genitive		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στου ărĭ́stou	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στης ărĭ́stēs	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στου ărĭ́stou		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοιν ărĭ́stoin	ᾰ̓ρῐ́σταιν ărĭ́stain	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοιν ărĭ́stoin		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στων ărĭ́stōn	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στων ărĭ́stōn	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στων ărĭ́stōn
Dative		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στῳ ărĭ́stōi	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στῃ ărĭ́stēi	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στῳ ărĭ́stōi		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοιν ărĭ́stoin	ᾰ̓ρῐ́σταιν ărĭ́stain	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοιν ărĭ́stoin		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοις ărĭ́stois	ᾰ̓ρῐ́σταις ărĭ́stais	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στοις ărĭ́stois
Accusative		ᾰ̓́ρῐστον ắrĭston	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στην ărĭ́stēn	ᾰ̓́ρῐστον ắrĭston		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στᾱ ărĭ́stā	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στους ărĭ́stous	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στᾱς ărĭ́stās	ᾰ̓́ρῐστᾰ ắrĭstă
Vocative		ᾰ̓́ρῐστε ắrĭste	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στη ărĭ́stē	ᾰ̓́ρῐστον ắrĭston		ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στᾱ ărĭ́stā	ᾰ̓ρῐ́στω ărĭ́stō		ᾰ̓́ρῐστοι ắrĭstoi	ᾰ̓́ρῐσται ắrĭstai	ᾰ̓́ρῐστᾰ ắrĭstă
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		ᾰ̓́ρῐστᾰ ắrĭstă				—				—
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 (ărĭsteús)
• ἀριστεύω (aristeúō)
• Ἀριστόβουλος (Aristóboulos)
• Ἀριστογένης (Aristogénēs)
• Ἀριστόδημος (Aristódēmos)
• Ἀριστοκλῆς (Aristoklês)
• Ἀριστόμαχος (Aristómakhos)
• Ἀριστόνοος (Aristónoos)
• Ἀριστόξενος (Aristóxenos)
• Ἀριστοτέλης (Aristotélēs)
• Ᾰ̓ρῐστότῑμος (Ărĭstótīmos)
• 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 (2006–2025)
• “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