Plato › Greek Lexicon › ἄριστος

ἄριστος

aristos

best

Appears 173 times across Plato's dialogues.

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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 S. El. 366; ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἀ. ὁμιλίη, opp. δῆμος, Hdt. 3.81, cf. Cic. 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. Ar. Nu. 1048. d. c. inf., ἄριστοι μάχεσθαι X. Cyr. 5.4.44; ἄ. διαβολὰς ἐνδέκεσθαι readiest to give ear to calumnies, Hdt. 3.80; ἄ. ἀπατᾶσθαι best, i.e. easiest, to cheat, Th. 3.38. 3. morally best, εἴς τινα E. Alc. 83(lyr.); οἱ ἄ. ἁπλῶς κατʼ ἀρετήν Arist. Pol. 1293b3. 4. best, most useful, πόλει E. Fr. 194 codd. (leg. ἀρεστός) αὑτῷ Id. 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 Hdt. 4.90; ἄριστα φέρεσθαι win an excellent reward, S. El. 1097 (lyr.). III. neut. pl. as Adv., ἄριστα best, most excellently, ὄχʼ ἄ. Il. 3.110, Od. 13.365, cf. Hdt. 1.193, al., etc.; ἄριστά γε, in answers, well said! Pl. Tht. 163c: later also ἀρίστως Iamb. Myst. 3.14.
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