καλός
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From earlier καλϝός (kalwós), from Proto-Indo-European *kal-wo-s, form of *kal- (“beautiful”).
Cognate to Sanskrit कल्य (kalya), Sanskrit कल्याण (kalyā́ṇa), Albanian kolmë.
Pronunciation
In most cases:
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /ka.lós/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
In epic poetry and in some other cases:
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /kaː.lós/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
Usage notes
In epic and early iambic poetry, this word almost always has a long (heavy) first syllable. This was originally a consequence of the digamma — καλϝός (kalwós) — which resulted in a syllable ending in a consonant: /kal.ˈwos/. But, once the digamma was lost, the heavy syllable was reanalyzed as being the consequence of a long vowel in the first syllable: κᾱλός (kālós).
In lyric poetry and tragedy, the α is short; in elegiac, epigrammatic, and bucolic poets it is variable.
Inflection
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | κᾰλός kalós |
κᾰλή kalḗ |
κᾰλόν kalón |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́ |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλοί kaloí |
κᾰλαί kalaí |
κᾰλᾰ́ kalá | |||||
Genitive | κᾰλοῦ kaloû |
κᾰλῆς kalês |
κᾰλοῦ kaloû |
κᾰλοῖν kaloîn |
κᾰλαῖν kalaîn |
κᾰλοῖν kaloîn |
κᾰλῶν kalôn |
κᾰλῶν kalôn |
κᾰλῶν kalôn | |||||
Dative | κᾰλῷ kalôi |
κᾰλῇ kalêi |
κᾰλῷ kalôi |
κᾰλοῖν kaloîn |
κᾰλαῖν kalaîn |
κᾰλοῖν kaloîn |
κᾰλοῖς kaloîs |
κᾰλαῖς kalaîs |
κᾰλοῖς kaloîs | |||||
Accusative | κᾰλόν kalón |
κᾰλήν kalḗn |
κᾰλόν kalón |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́ |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλούς kaloús |
κᾰλᾱ́ς kalā́s |
κᾰλᾰ́ kalá | |||||
Vocative | κᾰλέ kalé |
κᾰλή kalḗ |
κᾰλόν kalón |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλᾱ́ kalā́ |
κᾰλώ kalṓ |
κᾰλοί kaloí |
κᾰλαί kalaí |
κᾰλᾰ́ kalá | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
κᾰλῶς kalôs |
καλλίων kallíōn |
κάλλιστος kállistos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | κᾱλός kālós |
κᾱλή kālḗ |
κᾱλόν kālón |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́ |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλοί kāloí |
κᾱλαί kālaí |
κᾱλᾰ́ kālá | |||||
Genitive | κᾱλοῦ / κᾱλοῖο / κᾱλόο kāloû / kāloîo / kālóo |
κᾱλῆς kālês |
κᾱλοῦ / κᾱλοῖο / κᾱλόο kāloû / kāloîo / kālóo |
κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin |
κᾱλαῖν / κᾱλαῖῐν / κᾱλῇῐν kālaî(i)n / kālêiin |
κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin |
κᾱλῶν kālôn |
κᾱλᾱ́ων / κᾱλέ͜ων / κᾱλῶν kālā́ōn / kālé͜ōn / kālôn |
κᾱλῶν kālôn | |||||
Dative | κᾱλῷ kālôi |
κᾱλῇ kālêi |
κᾱλῷ kālôi |
κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin |
κᾱλαῖν / κᾱλαῖῐν / κᾱλῇῐν kālaî(i)n / kālêiin |
κᾱλοῖῐν kāloîin |
κᾱλοῖσῐ / κᾱλοῖσῐν / κᾱλοῖς kāloîsi(n) / kāloîs |
κᾱλῇσῐ / κᾱλῇσῐν / κᾱλῇς / κᾱλαῖς kālêisi(n) / kālêis / kālaîs |
κᾱλοῖσῐ / κᾱλοῖσῐν / κᾱλοῖς kāloîsi(n) / kāloîs | |||||
Accusative | κᾱλόν kālón |
κᾱλήν kālḗn |
κᾱλόν kālón |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́ |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλούς kāloús |
κᾱλᾱ́ς kālā́s |
κᾱλᾰ́ kālá | |||||
Vocative | κᾱλέ kālé |
κᾱλή kālḗ |
κᾱλόν kālón |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλᾱ́ kālā́ |
κᾱλώ kālṓ |
κᾱλοί kāloí |
κᾱλαί kālaí |
κᾱλᾰ́ kālá | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
κᾱλῶς kālôs |
καλλίων kallíōn |
κάλλιστος kállistos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Derived terms
- καλόπους (kalópous, “having beautiful feet”)
Related terms
- κάλλος (kállos)
References
- “καλός, ή, όν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “καλός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “καλός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- καλός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- 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
- καλός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- “καλός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G2570 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
- καλός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- admirable idem, page 12.
- artistic idem, page 42.
- auspicious idem, page 53.
- beautiful idem, page 68.
- buxom idem, page 107.
- capital idem, page 111.
- comely idem, page 145.
- creditable idem, page 183.
- elegant idem, page 265.
- estimable idem, page 283.
- excellent idem, page 288.
- exquisite idem, page 296.
- fair idem, page 302.
- favourable idem, page 311.
- fine idem, page 321.
- fortunate idem, page 340.
- good idem, page 366.
- goodly idem, page 367.
- handsome idem, page 383.
- happy idem, page 384.
- high-principled idem, page 400.
- honourable idem, page 405.
- hopeful idem, page 405.
- lovely idem, page 502.
- lucky idem, page 504.
- noble idem, page 559.
- ornamental idem, page 580.
- picturesque idem, page 611.
- plausible idem, page 618.
- pomantic idem, page 625.
- principled idem, page 641.
- promising idem, page 653.
- propitious idem, page 653.
- reputable idem, page 699.
- righteous idem, page 715.
- skilful idem, page 780.
- specious idem, page 799.
- spruce idem, page 806.
- virtuous idem, page 954.
- well-favoured idem, page 974.
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 626-7
Greek
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κᾰλός (“beautiful, morally beautiful, of good quality”), from Proto-Indo-European *kal-wo-s, form of *kal- (“beautiful”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kaˈlos/
- Hyphenation: κα‧λός
- Homophone: καλώς (kalós)
Declension
number case \ gender |
singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | |
nominative | καλός • | καλή • | καλό • | καλοί • | καλές • | καλά • |
genitive | καλού • | καλής • | καλού • | καλών • | καλών • | καλών • |
accusative | καλό • | καλή • | καλό • | καλούς • | καλές • | καλά • |
vocative | καλέ • | καλή • | καλό • | καλοί • | καλές • | καλά • |
derivations | Comparative: πιο + positive forms (e.g. πιο καλός, etc.) Relative superlative: definite article + πιο + positive forms (e.g. ο πιο καλός, etc.) |
comparative | singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | |
nominative | καλύτερος • | καλύτερη • | καλύτερο • | καλύτεροι • | καλύτερες • | καλύτερα • |
genitive | καλύτερου • | καλύτερης • | καλύτερου • | καλύτερων • | καλύτερων • | καλύτερων • |
accusative | καλύτερο • | καλύτερη • | καλύτερο • | καλύτερους • | καλύτερες • | καλύτερα • |
vocative | καλύτερε • | καλύτερη • | καλύτερο • | καλύτεροι • | καλύτερες • | καλύτερα • |
derivations | relative superlative: ο + comparative forms (eg "ο καλύτερος", etc) | |||||
Absolute superlative | singular | plural | ||||
masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | |
nominative | άριστος • | άριστη • | άριστο • | άριστοι • | άριστες • | άριστα • |
genitive | άριστου • | άριστης • | άριστου • | άριστων • | άριστων • | άριστων • |
accusative | άριστο • | άριστη • | άριστο • | άριστους • | άριστες • | άριστα • |
vocative | άριστε • | άριστη • | άριστο • | άριστοι • | άριστες • | άριστα • |
notes | Alternative learned absolute form κάλλιστος. Also, the less common καλότατος. |
Derived terms
- καλό ταξίδι (kaló taxídi, “bon voyage”, literally “good journey”)
- καλή όρεξη (kalí órexi, “bon appetit”, literally “good appetite”)
- καλό μήνα (kaló mína, literally “good month”) (a greeting for the new month)
Related terms
- καλό (kaló)
Noun
καλός • (kalós) m (plural καλοί)
- the good man
- Οι καλοί θα πάνε στον Παράδεισο. ― Oi kaloí tha páne ston Parádeiso. ― The good will go to Heaven.
- goodie, goody
- sweetheart
Declension
References
- καλός - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.