ἄρ
κάλλιστον τὸ δικαιότατον, λῷστον δ' ὑγιαίνειν → nothing is more beautiful than being just, but nothing is more pleasant than being healthy | Most beautiful is what is most just; the best thing is to be healthy.
English (LSJ)
v. sq.
German (Pape)
[Seite 342] ep. vor Consonanten für ἄρα, Hom.
French (Bailly abrégé)
v. ἄρα.
Russian (Dvoretsky)
ἄρ: эп. = ἄρα.
Frisk Etymological English
ἄρα, ἄρ, enclit. ῥα, with elision ῥ
Grammatical information: adv.
Meaning: of course, then, so (Il.).
Dialectal forms: Cypr. ἔρ(α) H.; against Latte s. Ruijgh τε épique 433 n. 76.
Origin: IE [Indo-European] [62] *(h₁)er? now, thus, so questioning particle
Etymology: On the use Schwyzer-Debrunner 558f, in Homer Grimm, Glotta 40, 1962, 3-41. To Lith. ir̃, Latv. ìr and; also, even from PIE *r̥; with full grade Lith. ar̃, Latv. ar question particle. The full grades require a laryngeal (which is anyhow needed before r); Cypr. ἔρ(α) can be *h₁er, Lith. ar̃ < *h₁or, but *h₁r̥ would have given *ερα, not αρα; either some forms are analogical, or the rule about the root structure does not work here. S. also Hoenigswald Lang. 29, 288ff. (Connection with ἀραρίσκω, ἄρτι is indemonstrable, and would require *h₂r. Improbable Ruijgh, Lingua 25, 1970, 313: to ἄριστος) - On final -α Schwyzer 622f.
