ἀριστερός

See also: αριστερός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Apparently from ἄριστος (áristos, “best”) +‎ -τερος (-teros, “contrastive suffix”), though the left direction has negative connotations in many cultures and languages, including Greece.^[1] According to Chantraine, the suffix -τερος serves to differentiate and create a euphemistic contrast with ἄριστος; an unusual formation. The latter is taken to indicate on the right side in this case, the left side being its literal and metaphorical opposite.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.ris.te.rós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /a.ris.teˈros/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /a.ris.teˈros/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /a.ris.teˈros/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /a.ris.teˈros/

Adjective

ἀριστερός • (aristerós) m (feminine ἀριστερά, neuter ἀριστερόν); first/second declension

(euphemistic) left (opposite of right)
Synonyms: λαιός (laiós), σκαιός (skaiós)

Antonym: δεξιός (dexiós)
ominous, ill boding
clumsy, awkward (compare French gauche)

Inflection

First and second declension of ἀριστερός; ἀριστερᾱ́; ἀριστερόν (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἀριστερός aristerós	ἀριστερᾱ́ aristerā́	ἀριστερόν aristerón	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστερᾱ́ aristerā́	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστεροί aristeroí	ἀριστεραί aristeraí	ἀριστερᾰ́ aristerá
Genitive	ἀριστεροῦ aristeroû	ἀριστερᾶς aristerâs	ἀριστεροῦ aristeroû	ἀριστεροῖν aristeroîn	ἀριστεραῖν aristeraîn	ἀριστεροῖν aristeroîn	ἀριστερῶν aristerôn	ἀριστερῶν aristerôn	ἀριστερῶν aristerôn
Dative	ἀριστερῷ aristerôi	ἀριστερᾷ aristerâi	ἀριστερῷ aristerôi	ἀριστεροῖν aristeroîn	ἀριστεραῖν aristeraîn	ἀριστεροῖν aristeroîn	ἀριστεροῖς aristeroîs	ἀριστεραῖς aristeraîs	ἀριστεροῖς aristeroîs
Accusative	ἀριστερόν aristerón	ἀριστερᾱ́ν aristerā́n	ἀριστερόν aristerón	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστερᾱ́ aristerā́	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστερούς aristeroús	ἀριστερᾱ́ς aristerā́s	ἀριστερᾰ́ aristerá
Vocative	ἀριστερέ aristeré	ἀριστερᾱ́ aristerā́	ἀριστερόν aristerón	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστερᾱ́ aristerā́	ἀριστερώ aristerṓ	ἀριστεροί aristeroí	ἀριστεραί aristeraí	ἀριστερᾰ́ aristerá
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	ἀριστερῶς aristerôs			ἀριστερώτερος aristerṓteros			ἀριστερώτᾰτος aristerṓtatos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

(left): εὐώνυμος (euṓnumos)

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “left”): δεξιός (dexiós), δεξιτερός (dexiterós)

Descendants

Greek: αριστερός (aristerós)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀριστερός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 131
^ Chantraine, Pierre, "Les noms de la gauche en grec", Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 99.3 (1955) 374-377.

“ἀριστερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“ἀριστερός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“ἀριστερός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
ἀριστερός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
G710 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.
- left idem, page 484.
Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἀριστερός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 131

[2] Chantraine, Pierre, "Les noms de la gauche en grec", Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 99.3 (1955) 374-377.

[1]

[2]

ἀριστερός

Contents

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Synonyms

Antonyms

Descendants

References

Further reading

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