Ancient Greek Friendship and Insult Forms of Address

[argurotoxos]

I found these lists while looking for a Greek dictionary in the university library; the book they're from is called Greek Forms of Address: From Herodotus to Lucian by Eleanor Dickey (Clarendon Press, 1996). The ancient Greek, the Roman transliteration, and the English translation are all given. Any mistakes are mine.

• φίλε (phile) - 'dear, friend'
  
• φίλη κεφαλή (philē kephalē) - 'dear head'
  
• φίλτατε (philtate) - 'dearest'
  
• φιλότης (philotēs) - 'love'
  
• φιλούμενε (philoumene) - 'beloved'
  
• ἑταῖρε (hetaire) - 'comrade'
  
• φίλε ἑταῖρε (phile hetaire) - 'dear comrade'
  
• βέλτιστε (beltiste) - 'best'
  
• ἀγαθέ (agathe) - 'good'
  
• ἄριστε (ariste) - 'best'
  
• μαικάριε (maikarie) - 'blessed, happy'
  
• γενναῖε (gennaie) - 'noble'
  
• γενναιότατε (gennaiotate) - 'most noble'
  
• γεννάδα (gennada) - 'noble'
  
• θαυμάσιε (thaumasie) - 'wonderful, admirable, strange'
  
• θαυμασιώτατε (thaumasiōtate) - 'most wonderful'
  
• θαυμαστέ (thaumaste) - 'wonderful'
  
• θαυμαστότατοι (thaumastotatoi) - 'most wonderful'
  
• δαιμόνιε (daimonie) - 'marvellous'
  
• καλέ (kale) - 'beautiful, good'
  
• κάλλιστε (kalliste) - 'most beautiful'
  
• λῷστε (lōiste) - 'best'
  
• σοφέ (sophe) - 'wise'
  
• σοφώτατε (sophōtate) - 'wisest'
  
• μέγιστε (megiste) - 'greatest'
  
• χρηστέ (chrēste) - 'useful, good'
  
• κράτιστε (kratiste) - 'strongest, mightiest'
  
• προθυμότατε (prothymotate) - 'most eager'
  
• ἀνδρειότατε (andreiotate) - 'bravest, most stubborn'
  
• ἥδιστε (hēdiste) - 'sweetest'
  
• θεῖε (theie) - 'holy, divine'
  
• θειότατε (theiotate) - 'most holy, most divine'
  
• θεοφιλεῖς (theophileis) - 'dear to the gods'
  
• θεοφιλέστατε (theophilestate) - 'most dear to the gods'
  
• εὔδαιμον (eudaimon) - 'blessed'
  
• εὔδαιμονεστάτη (eudaimonestatē) - 'most blessed'

[high-register insults]

• ἀνόσιε, -ώτατε (anosie, -ōtate) - 'unholy'
  
• βάρβαρε (barbare) - 'barbarous'
  
• θεοῖς ἐχθρέ (theois echthre) - 'enemy to the gods'
  
• ἱερόσυλε (hierosyle) - 'sacrilegious'
  
• κάθαρμα (katharma) - 'refuse, offscourings'
  
• κακέ, -ιστε (kake, -iste) - 'bad'
  
• κακή κεφαλή (kakē kephalē) - 'bad head'
  
• κίναδος (kinados) - 'fox, rogue'
  
• μάταιε (mataie) - 'empty, in vain'
  
• νήπιε (nēpie) - 'foolish'

[low-register insults]

• ἀναίσχυντε, -ότατε (anaischynte, -otate) - 'shameless'
  
• ἀνόητε (anoēte) - 'fool, silly'
  
• βδελυρέ (bdelyre) - 'disgusting'
  
• δειλέ, -ότατε (deile, -otate) - 'coward'
  
• ἐμβρόντητε (embrontēte) - 'stupefied'
  
• ἐπίτριπτε (epitripte) - 'damned'
  
• θηρίον (thērion) - 'beast'
  
• καταγέλαστε (katagelaste) - 'ridiculous'
  
• κατάπυγον (katapygon) - 'lewd'
  
• μιαρέ, -ώτατε (miare, -ōtate) - 'foul, defiled'
  
• μοχθηρέ (mochthēre) - 'bad, wretched'
  
• μῶρε/μωρέ (mōre) - 'dull, stupid'
  
• πόνηρε/πονηρέ (ponēre) - 'bad, worthless'
  
• τολμηρέ (tolmēre) - 'audacious'

In addition to interest and potential use, friendship and insult addresses are particularly fascinating in that they can also reveal what a society does and does not value.