βέλτερος: Difference between revisions

|Definition=α, ον, <span class="sense"><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">A</span> = [[βελτίων]], poet. Comp. of <b class="b3">ἀγαθός</b>, <b class="b2">better, more excellent</b>, Hom. only in neut., <b class="b3">βέλτερόν [ἐστι</b>] <b class="b2">it is better</b>, c. inf., <span class="bibl">Il.15.511</span>, <span class="bibl">21.485</span>: c. dat. pers. et inf., <span class="bibl">Od.17.18</span>; <b class="b3">βέλτερον εἰ</b>… <span class="bibl">6.282</span>, cf. <span class="bibl">Thgn.92</span>, <span class="bibl">A.<span class="title">Th.</span>337</span>, etc.: Sup. βέλτατος, η, ον, <span class="bibl">Id.<span class="title">Eu.</span>487</span>, <span class="bibl"><span class="title">Supp.</span> 1054</span>.</span>

|etymtx=Grammatical information: adj.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">better, the best</b> (Il.)<br />Other forms: <b class="b3">βελτίων</b> (posthom.); superlative <b class="b3">βέλτατος</b> (A.), <b class="b3">βέλτιστος</b> (Att.)<br />Dialectal forms: Dor. (Theoc.) <b class="b3">βέντιστος</b> (<b class="b3">λτ</b> > <b class="b3">ντ</b>)<br />Derivatives: From <b class="b3">βελτίων</b> : <b class="b3">βελτιόω</b> (Ph.). - On [[ἀβέλτερος]]s.s.v.<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European]X [probably] [96] <b class="b2">*bel-</b> [[strong]].<br />Etymology: Mostly connected with Skt. <b class="b2">bálam</b> n. [[force]], Lat. <b class="b2">dē-bilis</b> <b class="b2">without power</b>, OCS [[boljьjь]] [[bigger]] etc. But the formation is unclear, notably the <b class="b3">-τ-</b>. Seiler Steigerungsformen 91ff. assumes a <b class="b3">*βελτός</b> [[desired]] > [[better]] (but hardly to <b class="b3">βούλομαι</b> because of the <b class="b3">β-</b>, but cf. Cret. <b class="b3">δέλτον ἀγαθόν</b> Phot.). On <b class="b2">bálam</b> etc. see however the discussion in Mayrhofer EWAia 2, 215