ἀργός

See also: αργός, Άργος, and Ἄργος

Ancient Greek

FWOTD – 27 February 2020

Etymology 1

From an earlier ἀργρός (argrós), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rǵ-ró-s, from *h₂erǵ- (“white”).^[1] Cognates include Ancient Greek ἄργυρος (árguros, “silver”), Latin arguō (“to make clear”), Sanskrit अर्जुन (árjuna, “white, clear”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥ǵn̥tóm (“silver”), whence Latin argentum, Old Irish argat, Welsh arian, रजत (rajatá), Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀 (ər^əzata), Old Persian 𐎠𐎼𐎭𐎫 (ardata) and Old Armenian արծաթ (arcatʻ), and possibly Proto-Brythonic *ėrɣ (“snow”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ar.ɡós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /arˈɡos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓ργός • (ărgós) m (feminine ᾰ̓ργή, neuter ᾰ̓ργόν); first/second declension

shining, glistening, white, bright
swift (because all swift motion causes a kind of glancing or flickering light) (of dogs)

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

Inflection

First and second declension of ᾰ̓ργός; ᾰ̓ργή; ᾰ̓ργόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ᾰ̓ργός ărgós	ᾰ̓ργή ărgḗ	ᾰ̓ργόν ărgón	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργᾱ́ ărgā́	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργοί ărgoí	ᾰ̓ργαί ărgaí	ᾰ̓ργᾰ́ ărgắ
Genitive	ᾰ̓ργοῦ ărgoû	ᾰ̓ργῆς ărgês	ᾰ̓ργοῦ ărgoû	ᾰ̓ργοῖν ărgoîn	ᾰ̓ργαῖν ărgaîn	ᾰ̓ργοῖν ărgoîn	ᾰ̓ργῶν ărgôn	ᾰ̓ργῶν ărgôn	ᾰ̓ργῶν ărgôn
Dative	ᾰ̓ργῷ ărgôi	ᾰ̓ργῇ ărgêi	ᾰ̓ργῷ ărgôi	ᾰ̓ργοῖν ărgoîn	ᾰ̓ργαῖν ărgaîn	ᾰ̓ργοῖν ărgoîn	ᾰ̓ργοῖς ărgoîs	ᾰ̓ργαῖς ărgaîs	ᾰ̓ργοῖς ărgoîs
Accusative	ᾰ̓ργόν ărgón	ᾰ̓ργήν ărgḗn	ᾰ̓ργόν ărgón	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργᾱ́ ărgā́	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργούς ărgoús	ᾰ̓ργᾱ́ς ărgā́s	ᾰ̓ργᾰ́ ărgắ
Vocative	ᾰ̓ργέ ărgé	ᾰ̓ργή ărgḗ	ᾰ̓ργόν ărgón	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργᾱ́ ărgā́	ᾰ̓ργώ ărgṓ	ᾰ̓ργοί ărgoí	ᾰ̓ργαί ărgaí	ᾰ̓ργᾰ́ ărgắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ᾰ̓ργῶς ărgôs			ᾰ̓ργότερος ărgóteros			ᾰ̓ργότᾰτος ărgótătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

Ᾰ̓ργαῖος (Ărgaîos)
ᾰ̓ργεννός (ărgennós)
ᾰ̓́ργῐλλος (ắrgĭllos)
ᾰ̓ργῐόδους (ărgĭódous)
Ᾰ̓ργός (Ărgós)
ᾰ̓ργῠ́ρεος (ărgŭ́reos)
ᾰ̓ργῠ́ρῐον (ărgŭ́rĭon)
ᾰ̓́ργῠρος (ắrgŭros)
Ᾰ̓ργώ (Ărgṓ)
ἐνᾰργής (enărgḗs)
πελᾰργός (pelărgós)
πῡ́γᾰργος (pū́gărgos)

Etymology 2

Contracted form of ᾰ̓εργός (ăergós), from ᾰ̓- (ă-, “not, a-”) +‎ ἔργον (érgon, “a work”) +‎ -ός (-ós, adjectival suffix), and hence has a long ᾱ (ā).^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /aːr.ɡós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /arˈɡos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /arˈɣos/

Adjective

ᾱ̓ργός • (ārgós) m (feminine ᾱ̓ργή, neuter ᾱ̓ργόν); first/second declension

not working the ground; idle, lazy, slow
Antonym: ἐργᾰ́τῐς (ergắtĭs)
1. lying idle, yielding no return (of money)
  Antonym: ἐνεργός (energós)
2. lying fallow, fruitless (of land)
(passive voice):
1. unwrought, unpolished, not done, left undone
2. unattempted

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

Inflection

First and second declension of ᾱ̓ργός; ᾱ̓ργή; ᾱ̓ργόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ᾱ̓ργός ārgós	ᾱ̓ργή ārgḗ	ᾱ̓ργόν ārgón	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργᾱ́ ārgā́	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργοί ārgoí	ᾱ̓ργαί ārgaí	ᾱ̓ργᾰ́ ārgắ
Genitive	ᾱ̓ργοῦ ārgoû	ᾱ̓ργῆς ārgês	ᾱ̓ργοῦ ārgoû	ᾱ̓ργοῖν ārgoîn	ᾱ̓ργαῖν ārgaîn	ᾱ̓ργοῖν ārgoîn	ᾱ̓ργῶν ārgôn	ᾱ̓ργῶν ārgôn	ᾱ̓ργῶν ārgôn
Dative	ᾱ̓ργῷ ārgôi	ᾱ̓ργῇ ārgêi	ᾱ̓ργῷ ārgôi	ᾱ̓ργοῖν ārgoîn	ᾱ̓ργαῖν ārgaîn	ᾱ̓ργοῖν ārgoîn	ᾱ̓ργοῖς ārgoîs	ᾱ̓ργαῖς ārgaîs	ᾱ̓ργοῖς ārgoîs
Accusative	ᾱ̓ργόν ārgón	ᾱ̓ργήν ārgḗn	ᾱ̓ργόν ārgón	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργᾱ́ ārgā́	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργούς ārgoús	ᾱ̓ργᾱ́ς ārgā́s	ᾱ̓ργᾰ́ ārgắ
Vocative	ᾱ̓ργέ ārgé	ᾱ̓ργή ārgḗ	ᾱ̓ργόν ārgón	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργᾱ́ ārgā́	ᾱ̓ργώ ārgṓ	ᾱ̓ργοί ārgoí	ᾱ̓ργαί ārgaí	ᾱ̓ργᾰ́ ārgắ
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ᾱ̓ργῶς ārgôs			ᾱ̓ργότερος ārgóteros			ᾱ̓ργότᾰτος ārgótătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

λήθᾱργος (lḗthārgos)

Descendants

Greek: αργός (argós)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀργός 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 126
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀργός 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 126

“ἀργός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press (first sense)
“ἀργός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press (second sense)
“ἀργός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἀργός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἀργός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
ἀργός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
ἀργός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
G692 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- apathetic idem, page 33.
- dormant idem, page 247.
- fallow idem, page 304.
- idle idem, page 413.
- inactive idem, page 427.
- indolent idem, page 434.
- inert idem, page 436.
- interest idem, page 450.
- lazy idem, page 481.
- leisure idem, page 485.
- lethargic idem, page 486.
- slack idem, page 782.
- slothful idem, page 785.
- supine idem, page 840.
- unaccomplished idem, page 906.
- unconsummated idem, page 911.
- uncultivated idem, page 911.
- undone idem, page 915.
- unemployed idem, page 916.
- unfulfilled idem, page 919.
- unlaboured idem, page 923.
- unoccupied idem, page 926.
- unperformed idem, page 927.
- unploughed idem, page 927.
- unproductive idem, page 928.
- untilled idem, page 934.
- untouched idem, page 935.

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀργός 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 126

[2] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀργός 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 126

[1]

[2]

ἀργός

Ancient Greek

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia