ἄγαν + θεῖος

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ἀγαθός

Transliteration (Word)

agathos

English translation (word)

good

Transliteration (Etymon)

agan + theios

English translation (etymon)

very much + divine

Author

Philoxenus

Century

I BC

Reference

Fr. 415

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2], Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, alpha, p. 29

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

<ἀγαθός>· ... ὁ δὲ Φιλόξενός φησι σύνθετον αὐτὸ παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν καὶ θεῖος καὶ συνθέσει καὶ συγκοπῇ ἀγαθός· ὅθεν οὐ λέγεται ἀγαθώτερος <οὔτε ἀγαθώτατος>, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ὡς δύο ἐπιτάσεις, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄγαν καὶ τῆς συγκριτικῆς παραγωγῆς

Translation (En)

Agathos ("good”) Philoxenus says it is a compound from agan (“very much”) and theios (“divine”), giving agathos by composition and syncope. That is the reason why we do not say *agathōteros (“better”) nor *agathōtatos (“the best”) to avoid having two emphases, one with agan (“very much”), and another with the comparative form (scil. -teros)

Comment

The fragment was included by Lentz in his Herodianus’ Περὶ παθῶν edition (300, 21-24). The argument supporting the etymology is opportunistic: ἀγαθώτερος, as well as the superlative, is indeed almost never used in ancient Greek (see Ael.Dion., Attic words, alpha 10 Erbse : <<ἀγαθός>· ἡ σύγκρισις ‘μᾶλλον ἀγαθός’ καὶ ἡ ὑπέρθεσις ‘μάλιστα ἀγαθός’>. ἀγαθώτερος <δὲ> καὶ ἀγαθώτατος παρ' οὐδενὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων κεῖται ; Phryn., Eclog. 65: Ἀγαθὸς μᾶλλον λέγεται καὶ ἀγαθὸς μάλιστα, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀγαθώτατος καὶ ἀγαθώτερος ; Eustathius, Comm. Od., 1, 9 Van der Valk, l. 30), but the comparative ἀγαθὸς μᾶλλον introduces also a double emphasis (or redundancy). Yet some Christian authors, likely inspired by a Septuagint passage (Jd. 11.25, 1 : καὶ νῦν μὴ ἐν ἀγαθῷ ἀγαθώτερος σὺ ὑπὲρ Βαλακ υἱὸν Σεπφωρ βασιλέα Μωαβ;) such as Adamantios (De recta in deum fide 114, 11 Hinrichs), Johannes Chrysostomus (In Acta apostolorum, MPG 60, p. 231, 55: Οὐκ εἶ σὺ ἀγαθώτερος τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡμᾶς ; etc.) or Cyrillus (Catecheses ad illuminandos, 6, 7 Reischl, Rupp, Munich) do use ἀγαθώτερος. Philoponus refers to the same explanation as Philoxenus (Opif. 298, 21-25 Reichardt: διόπερ οὐδὲ ἡ λέξις παρὰ τοῖς ἀκριβοῦσι τὴν Ἑλλήνων φωνὴν ὑπερτέθειται εἰς τὸ ἀγαθώτερος ἢ ἀγαθώτατος – ἔχει γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ ὑπερθετικὸν ἐπίρρημα τὸ ἄγαν – καὶ εἴ που παρά τινι σπανίως εἴρηται, παρέλκει). The second part of the word is not mentioned here, but θεῖος is probably meant, as witnessed by a similar passage in Eustathius (in Od. 1.9.28-30, see Paral.). Note that the same argument is put forward by Orion (Etymologicum, alpha, p. 1 Sturz) for another compound with ἄγαν, viz. ἄγαν θεῖν (<Ἀγαθόν> παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν θεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ, οἷον ἐφ' ᾧ ἄγαν θέομεν. ἔνθεν οὐ λέγομεν ἀγαθώτερος, οὔτε ἀγαθώτατος, ὡς ἐγκειμένου ἐπιτατικοῦ μορίου τοῦ ἄγαν, ἵνα μὴ γένωνται ἐν αὐτῷ δύο ἐπιτάσεις, ἀπό τε τοῦ ἄγαν, καὶ τῆς παραγωγῆς τῆς διὰ τοῦ <τερος>, ἀλλὰ ῥητέον, μᾶλλον ἀγαθὸς τοῦδε ὅδε)

Parallels

Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 9, l. 28-30 (Ἔτι ἰστέον ὅτι καθὰ τὸ δῖος οὐ παράγει σύγκρισιν, ἢ ὑπέρθεσιν διὰ τὸ φύσει τῆς λέξεως ὑπεροχικὸν, οὐδεὶς γὰρ λέγει διότερος ἢ διότατος, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸ ἀγαθὸς, διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ἄγαν ἐπίτασιν); Et. Gudianum, alpha, p. 6 De Stefani (λέγεται δὲ ἀγαθόν <καὶ> παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν θεῖον, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν θεόν); Et. Magnum, Kallierges p. 5.19 (<Ἀγαθόν>: Τὸ ἄγαν θεῖον· ἢ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν θεόν); Comm. in Dionysii Thracis Artem Grammaticam, Scholia Marciana 371, 28 Hilgard (τίς γάρ ἐστιν ἀγαθός; ὁ ἄγαν θεῖος); Schol. in Od. γ 280a3 Pontani (καὶ ἀγανός ἐτυμολογεῖται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄγαν νέειν εἰς αὐτὸν πάντας, ὡς καὶ ἀγαθός ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄγαν θέειν περὶ αὐτον). See Philopon, De Opif. 298, 21-25 Reichardt (διόπερ οὐδὲ ἡ λέξις παρὰ τοῖς ἀκριβοῦσι τὴν Ἑλλήνων φωνὴν ὑπερτέθειται εἰς τὸ ἀγαθώτερος ἢ ἀγαθώτατος – ἔχει γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ ὑπερθετικὸν ἐπίρρημα τὸ ἄγαν)

Modern etymology

Most linguists nowadays see ἀγαθός as a compound with the same segmentation, the first element being identified as the zero grade of μέγας "large", and the second element as *-dhh1-o-, see τίθημι (doubts in Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

The word is still used in MG with a certain semantic variation, due to the Christian influence. It designates: 1. virtuous, good, gentle, benevolent, 2. naive, someone who easily trusts anybody (as also the adjective "αγαθιάρης").

Entry By

Arnaud Zucker