φιλόνικος

φιλόνικος, ον, A. fond of victory, contentious. 1. in bad sense, οὔτε δύσηρις ἐὼν οὔτʼ ὦν φ. ἄγαν Pi. O. 6.19 (-νεικ- codd. vett.); φ. ἐστι πρὸς ὃ ἂν ὁρμήσῃ Pl. Prt. 336e; coupled with φιλότιμος, Id. R. 545a, 582e (v.l. -νεικ-), cf. 550b; ἐπίπονον καὶ φ. καὶ φιλότιμον . . καταστήσας τὸν βίον Lys. 2.16. 2. in good sense, of spirited horses, X. Eq. 9.8 (Sup.): of persons, φ. πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐλλείπεσθαι Id. Mem. 2.6.5, cf. Plu. Ages. 2 (Sup.); τὸ φ., = φιλονικία, ἔσῳζον τὸ φ. ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς X. Cyr. 7.5.64. Adv. -κως in eager rivalry, παραθεῖν Id. Cyn. 6.16; φ. ἔχειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους Id. Cyr. 3.3.57, 8.4.4; φ. ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ εἰδέναι Pl. Grg. 505e; opp. ἀνθρωπίνως, D. Ep. 3.41. (In codd. the forms φιλόνικος, -νικέω, -νικία and φιλόνεικος, -νεικέω, -νεικία occur, without any distn. of meaning, e.g. in Isoc. we find περὶ τῶν καλλίστων ἐφιλονίκησαν 4.85, but τὰς θεὰς περὶ τοῦ κάλλους φιλονεικούσας 10.48; μὴ δύσερις ὢν . . , μηδὲ πρὸς πάντας φιλόνικος 1.31; τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλονικίας 4.19, but φιλονεικία in the same sense, 12.158; φιλόνῑκος is implied by Arist. Rh. 1389a12 (where -νεικ-, though found in good codd., as also in 1363b1, 1368b21, 1370b33, Phgn. 809b35, must be f.l.), καὶ φιλότιμοι μέν εἰσι [οἱ νέοι], μᾶλλον δὲ φιλόνικοι· ὑπεροχῆς γὰρ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ νεότης· ἡ δὲ νίκη ὑπεροχή τις, cf. Poll. 1.178, AB 315; the compd. of φιλο- and νεῖκος would be *φιλονεικής; the sense contentious arises naturally from fond of victory; in SIG 685 (v. φιλονικία sub fin.) we have φιλονικίαν Il. 12,36, and φιλονικίᾳ in OGI 335.7 (Pergam., decree of Pitane, ii B. C.); -νῑκ- is also found in late documents, as POxy. 157.1 (vi A. D.).)