ἀγαθός

English (LSJ)

[ᾰγ], ή, όν, Lacon. ἀγασός Ar.Lys.1301, Cypr. 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. and Sup. are usu. supplied from other stems, viz. Comp. ἀμείνων, ἀρείων, βελτίων, κρείσσων (κάρρων), λωΐων (λὥων), Ep. βέλτερος, λωΐτερος, φέρτερος:—Sup. ἄριστος, βέλτιστος, κράτιστος, λώϊστος (λῷστος), Ep.βέλτατος, κάρτιστος, φέρτατος, φέριστος:— later, reg. Comp. ἀγαθώτερος LXX Jd.11.25, 15.2, D.S.8Fr.12, Plot. 5.5.9, Diod.Rh.p.53.9H.: 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.)