ἀγαθός

• ᾰ̓γᾰσός (ăgăsós) — Laconian
• ᾰ̓ζᾰθός (ăzăthós) — Arcadocypriot

Possibly from Proto-Hellenic *əgatʰós, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵh₂dʰh₁ós (“made great; whose deeds are great”), from *méǵh₂s (“great”) + *dʰeh₁- (“do”) + *-ós. Compare Latin magnificus from same roots.

Beekes notes that if the glossing synonyms ᾰ̓κᾰθός (ăkăthós) and χᾱ́σῐος (khā́sĭos) are related to ᾰ̓γᾰθός (ăgăthós), one would be forced to assume Pre-Greek borrowing instead.^[1][2]

ᾰ̓γᾰθός • (ăgăthós) m (feminine ᾰ̓γᾰθή, neuter ᾰ̓γᾰθόν); first/second declension

1. good; brave; noble; moral; gentle
2. fortunate; lucky
3. useful

The difference between the three most common comparatives/superlatives is the following:

• ᾰ̓μείνων (ămeínōn), ᾰ̓́ρῐστος (ắrĭstos): stronger; braver; preferable; superior.
• βελτῑ́ων (beltī́ōn), βέλτῐστος (béltĭstos): more fitting; morally superior.
• κρείσσων (kreíssōn), κρᾰ́τῐστος (krắtĭstos): better; stronger.

There is also another less common pair of comparative/superlative^[3], usually used in the vocative^[4]:

• φέρτερος (phérteros), φέρτᾰτος (phértătos) ~ φέρῐστος (phérĭstos): stronger; braver; better; more excellent.

• Greek: αγαθός (agathós)
• → Coptic: ⲁⲅⲁⲑⲟⲥ (agathos)

• “ἀγαθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀγαθός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀγαθός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891), A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἀγαθός 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
• ἀγαθός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924), A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἀγαθός in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• “ἀγαθός”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G18 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.
  • admirable idem, page 12.
  • adroit idem, page 13.
  • bold idem, page 88.
  • brave idem, page 93.
  • courageous idem, page 178.
  • estimable idem, page 283.
  • excellent idem, page 288.
  • exemplary idem, page 290.
  • gallant idem, page 352.
  • good idem, page 366.
  • skilful idem, page 780.
  • virtuous idem, page 954.