ἀρέσκω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Reference
Edition
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
[Ἀρετή] αἱρετή τις ἐστίν· ἣν αἱροῦνται πάντες, οὕτως Δίδυμος ἐν ὑπομνήμασιν .... ὡς δὲ ἐν ὑπομνήσει εὗρον Θέωνος, ἀρεστή. καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ σ, ἀρετή, ἡ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκουσα.
Ἀρετὴ, ἄρεσκον τῷ θεῷ τι, ἢ ἀρετὴ ἥτις ἐραστὴ καὶ φιλητή. Ἀρετὴ λέγεται παρὰ τὸ ἀρέσκειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ γινόμενον, ἢ ἀρετὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἀρέσκεσθαι καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπθυμουμένη
Translation (En)
Excellence (aretē) is that which everybody chooses : this is what Didymos says in his Commentary. But I found in Theon's Commentary ‹the etymology› arestē "pleasant", and through dropping of the [s] aretē "excellence", that which pleases (areskousa) everybody.
Excellence (aretē), something pleasing the god, excellence is that which is pleasant and lovely. Aretē (personified) is so named from the fact that what is done fits the truth. Excellence from the fact that it pleases and is desired by everybody
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum, alpha, p. 1 (Ἀρετή· αἱρετή τις οὖσα, ἣν αἱροῦνται πάντες· οὕτω Δίδυμος ἐν Ὑπομνήματι. ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλείδης κατὰ μετάθεσιν στοιχείων, ἐρατή τις οὖσα, ἡ ἐπέραστος κτῆσις· ὡς δὲ ἄλλοι, ἀρεστή, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ σίγμα, ἀρετή, ἡ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκουσα); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. regio Paris. 2630) p. 185 (Ἀρετή· αἱρετή τίς ἐστιν, ἣν αἱροῦνται πάντες. οὕτω Δίδυμος ἐν Ὑπομνήματι, ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλείδης ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἐτυμολογίας φησὶ· κατὰ μετάθεσιν, ἀρετή τις οὖσα, ἡ ἐπέραστος κτῆσις. ὡς δὲ ἐν Ὑπομνήσει εὗρον Θέωνος, ἀρεστὴ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ σ, ἀρετή, ἡ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκουσα); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1142 (Ἀρετή· παρὰ τὸ ἐρῶ, τὸ ἐπιθυμῶ, ἐρατή, καὶ κατὰ μετάθεσιν τῶν στοιχείων ἀρετή, ἡ ἐπέραστος κτῆσις, ἣν αἱροῦνται πάντες· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ ἀρέσω ἀρεστή καὶ ἀρετή, ἡ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκουσα. λέγεται καὶ ἀρετὴ ἡ κατὰ πόλεμον δύναμις, παρὰ τὸν ἄρην); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 138 (ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ, ἀρέσω, ἀρεστὴ, καὶ ἀρετὴ, ἡ πᾶσιν ἀρέσκουσα); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 297 (idem).
Comment
This etymology is often repeated. It starts from the verbal adjective ἀρεστός "pleasing, pleasant" and involves only one phonetic manipulation, which is rather economical, compared to most ancient etymologies.