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”). 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

 

• IPA^(key): /ar.ɡós/ → /arˈɣos/ → /arˈɣos/

• (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

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

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
		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).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /aːr.ɡós/ → /arˈɣos/ → /arˈɣos/

• (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

1. 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)
2. (passive voice):
   1. unwrought, unpolished, not done, left undone
   2. unattempted

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
		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)

Further reading

• “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^[1], 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.