ἄριστος
aristos
best
Appears 117 times across Aristotle's works.
Frequency by work
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Dictionary (LSJ)
ἄριστος [ᾰ], η, ον, (with Art. Ep. ὤριστος Il. 11.288, Att. ἅριστος) Α. best in its kind, and so in all sorts of relations, serving as Sup. of ἀγαθός: I. of persons, 1. best in birth and rank, noblest: hence, like ἀριστεύς, a chief, Ἀργείων οἱ ἄριστοι Il. 4.260, cf. 6.209; ἄ. ἔην πολὺ δὲ πλείστους ἄγε λαούς 2.580; θεῶν ὕπατος καὶ ἄ. 19.258; πατρὸς πάντων ἀ. παῖδα El. 366; ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἀ. ὁμιλίη, opp. δῆμος, 3.81, cf. Att. 9.4.2. 2. best in any way, bravest, ἀνδρῶν αὖ μέγʼ ἄ. ἔην Τελαμώνιος Αἴας Il. 2.768, cf. 7.50, etc.; οἰωνοπόλων, σκυτοτόμων ὄχʼ ἄ., 6.76, 7.221. b. c. dat. modi, βουλῇ μετὰ πάντας . . ἔπλευ ἄ. 9.54, al.; ἔγχεσιν εἶναι ἀρίστους Od. 4.211. c. c. acc. rei, εἶδος ἄριστε Il. 3.39; ψυχὴν ἄ. Nu. 1048. d. c. inf., ἄριστοι μάχεσθαι Cyr. 5.4.44; ἄ. διαβολὰς ἐνδέκεσθαι readiest to give ear to calumnies, 3.80; ἄ. ἀπατᾶσθαι best, i.e. easiest, to cheat, 3.38. 3. morally best, εἴς τινα Alc. 83(lyr.); οἱ ἄ. ἁπλῶς κατʼ ἀρετήν Pol. 1293b3. 4. best, most useful, πόλει Fr. 194 codd. (leg. ἀρεστός) αὑτῷ Heracl. 5. II. of animals, things, etc., best, finest, ἵπποι Il. 2.763; μήλων, ὑῶν, Od. 9.432, 14.414; τεύχεʼ ἄριστα Il. 15.616; χῶρος Od. 5.442; ποταμῶν ἄ. τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἀκέσασθαι 4.90; ἄριστα φέρεσθαι win an excellent reward, El. 1097 (lyr.). III. neut. pl. as Adv., ἄριστα best, most excellently, ὄχʼ ἄ. Il. 3.110, Od. 13.365, cf. 1.193, al., etc.; ἄριστά γε, in answers, well said! Tht. 163c: later also ἀρίστως Myst. 3.14.
Key passages & sense analysis (Bonitz)
Index Aristotelicus. Hermann Bonitz's sense-by-sense analysis of
ἄριστος — with the passages
he singles out as decisive for each meaning — will appear here. That curated,
interpretive selection is the layer LSJ and a raw concordance don't provide.
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