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”);^[1] also cognate with Hittite [script needed] (arra-, “wash”), Tocharian A yär- (“wash”).

Pronunciation

(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

superlative degree of ᾰ̓γᾰθός (ăgăthós): best (in multivarious contexts)
(but especially): (of a person) best in social rank ("noblest"), (of a person) best in valor ("bravest"), (of a person) best in morality ("most ethical/moral"), (of any thing) best in usefulness/utility ("most useful")

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
Derived forms	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)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄριστος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 132

“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

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄριστος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 132

[1]