χρηστός (chrestos)

1. χρηστός · chrēstos — Chantraine

3. χρηστός : adj. verbal « que l’on peut utiliser », d’où notion de pertinence extrême, d'excellence : associé souvent à γενναῖος, ἐσθλός ; antonyme de ἀχρεῖος, s'oppose aussi à αἰσχρός, etc. Apparaît dans Bair. 39, puis commun en ion.-att., notamment dans de multiples valeurs morales et sociales ; fréquent dans les épitaphes à partir de l’époque hellénistique, avec la formule au vocatif χρηστὲ (χρηστὴ) χαῖρε, … — [Chantraine, s.v. χρηστός, p. 1296]

2. χρηστός · chrēstos — LSJ

useful, good of its kind, serviceable, wholesome, for, for, pleasant, nice, auspicious, happy, benefits, kindnesses, happy event, prosperity, success

like χρήσιμος, useful, good of its kind, serviceable, [τόξα] χρηστὰ οὐδέν Hdt. 3.78; [ἀτραπὸς] οὐδὲν χ. τισι Id. 7.215; χ. ἐπίπλοα Id. 1.94; [γῆ] E. Hec. 594; οἰκία, opp. μοχθηρά, Pl. Grg. 504a; ἡ χ. μέλιττα, opp. οἱ κηφῆνες, Arist. HA 624b23: freq. of wholesome food, μελίτωμα Batr. 39; ποτόν, σῖτος, Pl. R. 438a; περὶ τὸ σῶμα Pl. Prt. 313d: c. gen., for a thing, νεύρων for the sinews, Ael. NA 14.21; ῥάφανος Alex. 15.8; ὄψον Antiph. 242, etc. (but pleasant to taste, nice, Thphr. Char. 2.10): gene

2 working for good

in moral sense, opp. κακός, Eup. in PSI 11.1213.2; opp. πονηρός, Pl. Prt. 313d; τὸ χ., opp. τὸ αἰσχρόν, S. Ph. 476; χρηστός, opp. λυπρός, E. Med. 601: but λῦπαι χρησταί if working for good, Pl. Grg. 499e.

3 good for its purpose, effective

good for its purpose, effective (even for evil), τραῦμα, δῆγμα, Luc. Symp. 44, Alex. 55.

4 in use, current

Gramm., in use, current, ποιηταῖς χρηστά Eust. 215.8.

II good, valiant, true, good, honest, worthy, good, useful, deserving

of persons, good, esp. in war, valiant, true, Hdt. 5.109, 6.13, S. Ph. 437, etc.: generally, good, honest, worthy, Id. OT 610; οἰκέται X. Oec. 9.5; of women, ἐρεῖ τις ὡς Κλυταιμνήστρα κακή· Ἄλκηστιν ἀντέθηκα χρηστήν Eub. 117.11, cf. Men. Mon. 634; of good citizens, useful, deserving, D. 20.7: c. acc. cogn., ἃ χρηστοὶ ἐγένεσθε Th. 3.64; χ. περὶ τὴν πόλιν γεγενημένος Lys. 14.31; χ. καὶ φιλόπολις Ar. Pl. 900; collectively, ὀλίγον τὸ χ. Id. Ra. 783; but also ironically, ὁ χ. οὑτοσί Id. Nu. 8; οἱ χ.

freq. on Epitaphs, IG 3.3149,3155, al.

c. inf., ὅσοι προβατεύειν χ. Him. Or. 14.32.

2 good

οἱ χρηστοί, like οἱ ἀγαθοί, those of good family, X. Ath. 1.4, 6.

3 propitious, merciful, bestowing health, wealth

of the gods, propitious, merciful, bestowing health or wealth, θεῶν χρηστῶν ἥκειν εὖ Hdt. 8.111, cf. M.Ant. 9.11.

4 good, kindly

of men, good, kindly, δούλῳ . . χ. γενόμενός ἐστι δεσπότης πατρίς Antiph. 265; ὡς ἡδὺ δούλῳ δεσπότου χρηστοῦ τυχεῖν Men. Mon. 556, cf. Philem. 227; ὁ χ., ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ χρηστοὺς ποιεῖ Men. 203b, cf. Plu. Phoc. 10; χ. περί τινα D. 59.2; ἐπί τινας Ev.Luc. 6.35; εἰς ἀλλήλους Ep.Eph. 4.32.

b simple, silly, a nice fellow

sts. simple, silly, like εὐήθης, χρηστὸς εἶ ὅτι ἡγῇ . . , youʼre a nice fellow, to think that . . , Pl. Phdr. 264b, cf. Tht. 161a; ὦ χρηστέ D. 18.318.

5 strong, able

of a man, strong, able in body for sexual intercourse, = γυναικὶ χρῆσθαι δυνάμενος, Hp. Genit. 2.

6 dead

of the dead, whence χρηστὸν ποιεῖν = ἀποκτιννύναι, in a treaty between the Spartans and Tegea, Arist. Fr. 592.

III well, properly

Adv. -τῶς well, properly, Hdt. 4.117, Hp. Art. 32; χ. ἔχειν Ar. Ec. 219; σκευάσαι χ. τοὖψον Alex. 149.6.: ironically, χ. τὴν πατρίδα ἐπετρόπευσας Hdt. 3.36.

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