ἀγαθός

ἀγᾰθός [pron. full] [ᾰγ], ή, όν, [dialect] Lacon. [full] ἀγασός Ar.Lys.1301, Cypr. [full] ἀζαθός GDI57:—

A good:

I of persons,

1 well-born, gentle, opp.

κακός, δειλός, οἷά τε τοῖς ἀγαθοῖσι παραδρώωσι χέρηες Od.15.324

, cf. Il.1.275;

ἀφνειός τ' ἀ. τε Il.13.664

, cf. Od.18.276;

πατρὸς δ' εἴμ' ἀγαθοῖο, θεὰ δέ με γείνατο μήτηρ Il.21.109

, cf. Od.4.611;

κακὸς ἐξ ἀ. Thgn.190

, cf. 57 sq.;

πραῢς ἀστοῖς, οὐ φθονέων ἀγαθοῖς Pi.P. 3.71

, cf. 2.96, 4.285;

τίς ἂν εὔπατρις ὧδε βλάστοι; οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀ. κτλ. S.El.1082

;

οἵ τ' ἀ. πρὸς τῶν ἀγενῶν κατανικῶνται Id.Fr.84

; τοὺς εὐγενεῖς γὰρ κἀγαθοὺς . . φιλεῖ Ἄρης ἐναίρειν ib.649, cf. E.Alc.600, al.:

ἀγαθοὶ καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν Pl.Phdr.274a

:—in political sense, aristocrats, esp. in the phrase καλοὶ κἀγαθοί (v. sub καλοκἀγαθός).

2 brave, valiant, since courage was attributed to Chiefs and Nobles, Il.1.131, al.;

τῷ κ' ἀγαθὸς μὲν ἔπεφν', ἀγαθὸν δέ κεν ἐξενάριξεν 21.280

; cf. Hdt.5.109, etc.

3 good, capable, in reference to ability,

ἀ. βασιλεύς Il.3.179

;

ἰητήρ 2.732

;

θεράπων 16.165

, 17.388;

πύκτης Xenoph.2.15

;

ἰητρός Hp.Prog.1

;

προβατογνώμων A.Ag. 795

;

ἄρχοντες Democr.266

: freq. with qualifying words,

ἀ. ἐν ὑσμίνῃ Il.13.314

;

βοὴν ἀ. 2.408

,563, al.;

πύξ Od.11.300

;

βίην Il.6.478

;

γνώμην S.OT687

;

πᾶσαν ἀρετήν Pl.Lg.899b

, cf. Alc.1.124e;

τέχνην Id.Prt.323b

; τὰ πολέμια, τὰ πολιτικά, Hdt.9.122, Pl.Grg.516b, etc.: more rarely c. dat.,

ἀ. πολέμῳ X.Oec.4.15

: with Preps.,

ἄνδρες ἀ. περὶ τὸ πλῆθος Lys.13.2

;

εἴς τι Pl.Alc.1.125a

;

πρός τι Id.R.407e

: c. inf.,

ἀ. μάχεσθαι Hdt.1.136

;

ἱππεύεσθαι 1.79

; ἀ. ἱστάναι good at weighing, Pl.Prt.356b.

4 good, in moral sense, first in Thgn.438, cf. Heraclit.104, S.El.1082, X.Mem.1.7.1, Pl.Ap.41d, etc.;

ψυχῆς ἀγαθῆς πατρὶς ὁ ξύμπας κόσμος Democr.247

: freq. with other Adjs.,

ὁ πιστὸς κἀ. S.Tr.541

; δικαίων κἀ. ib.1050:—ironical,

τὸν ἀ. Κρέοντα Id.Ant.31

.

5 ὦ ἀγαθέ, my good friend, as a term of gentle remonstrance, Pl.Prt.311a, etc.

6 ἀ. δαίμων, v. sub δαίμων; ἀ. τύχη, v. sub τύχη; ἀ. θεός = Lat. bona dea, Plu.Caes.9, Cic.19.

II of things,

1 good, serviceable,

Ἰθάκη . . ἀ. κουροτρόφος Od.9.27

, etc.;

ἀ. τοῖς τοκεῦσι, τῇ πόλει X.Cyn.13.17

: c. gen., εἴ τι οἶδα πυρετοῦ ἀ. good for it, Id.Mem.3.8.3;

ἑλκῶν Thphr.HP9.11.1

.

2 of outward circumstances,

αἰδὼς οὐκ ἀ. κεχρημένῳ ἀνδρὶ παρεῖναι Od.17.347

;

εἰπεῖν εἰς ἀγαθόν

to good purpose,

Il.9.102

;

ὁ δὲ πείσεται εἰς ἀ. περ

for his own good end,

11.789

;

οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη 2.204

:—ἀγαθόν [ἐστι], c. inf., it is good to do so and so, Il.7.282, 24.130, Od.3.196, etc.

3 morally good,

πρῆξις Democr.177

;

ἔργα Emp.112.2

, cf. Ep.Rom.2.7, etc.

4 ἀγαθόν, τό, good, blessing, benefit, of persons or things,

ὦ μέγα ἀ. σὺ τοῖς φίλοις X.Cyr.5.3.20

;

φίλον, ὃ μέγιστον ἀ. εἶναί φασι Id.Mem.2.4.2

, cf. Ar.Ra.74, etc; as term of endearment for a baby, blessing!, treasure!, Men.Sam.28:— ἀγαθόν τινα δεδρακέναι, πεποιηκέναι confer a benefit on . . , Th.3.68, Lys.13.92; ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ τινος for one's good, Th.5.27, X.Cyr.7.4.3;

ἐπ' ἀ. τοῖς πολίταις Ar.Ra.1487

;

οὐκ ἐπ' ἀ.

for no good end,

Th.1.131

;

ἐπ' οὐδενὶ ἀ. τῆς Ἑλλάδος X.HG5.2.35

:—in pl., ἡ ἐπ' ἀγαθοῖς γεναμένη (sic)

κατασπορά PFlor.21.10

(iii A.D.):—τὸ ἀ. or τἀ., the good, Epich.171.5, cf. Pl.R.506b, 508e, Arist.Metaph.1091a31, etc.:—in pl., ἀγαθά, τά, goods of fortune, treasures, wealth, Hdt.2.172, Lys.13.91, X.Mem.1.2.63, etc.;

ἀγαθὰ πράττειν

fare well,

Ar.Av.1706

; also, good things, dainties, Thgn.1000, Ar.Ach.873, etc.: good qualities,

τοῖς ἀ., οἷς ἔχομεν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ Isoc.8.32

, cf. Democr.37; good points, of a horse,

εἰ τἄλλα πάντα ἀ. ἔχοι, κακόπους δ' εἴη X.Eq. 1.2

.

III [comp] Comp. and [comp] Sup. are usu. supplied from other stems, viz. [comp] Comp. ἀμείνων, ἀρείων, βελτίων, κρείσσων (κάρρων) , λωΐων ([etym.] λὥων), [dialect] Ep. βέλτερος, λωΐτερος, φέρτερος:—[comp] Sup. ἄριστος, βέλτιστος, κράτιστος, λώϊστος ([etym.] λῷστος), [dialect] Ep.βέλτατος, κάρτιστος, φέρτατος, φέριστος:— later, reg. [comp] Comp.

ἀγαθώτερος LXX Jd.11.25

, 15.2, D.S.8Fr.12, Plot. 5.5.9, Diod.Rh.p.53.9H.: [comp] Sup.

ἀγαθώτατος D.S.16.85

, Hld.5.15, etc. (

-ότατος POxy.1757.26

(ii A.D.)).

IV Adv. usually εὖ, q.v.:

ἀγαθῶς Hp.Off.9

, Arist.Rh.1388b6, LXX 1 Ki.20.7. (Etym. dub. (

ὅτι ἄγει ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν ὀρθὸν βίον Stoic. 3.49

); perh. cognate with ἄγαμαι, hence admirable.)