ἀστός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἀστή (astḗ) — feminine

Etymology

ᾰ̓́στυ (ástu, “town”) +‎ -ος (-os).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /as.tós/ → /asˈtos/ → /asˈtos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /as.tós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /asˈtos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /asˈtos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /asˈtos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /asˈtos/

Noun

ᾰ̓στός • (astós) m (genitive ᾰ̓στοῦ); second declension (Epic, Doric, Ionic, Attic, Koine)

1. inhabitant of a town or a city-state: townsman, citizen
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 11.242:

     ἀστοῖσιν ἀρήγων

     astoîsin arḗgōn

     coming to the aid of [his] townsmen

   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 13.192
   1. a native of a Greek city-state
      • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 563a
   2. one who has civil rights (a freeman, not a slave) but not political rights: freeman, free
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Politics 3.1278a.34:

        τέλος δὲ μόνον τοὺς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἀστῶν πολίτας ποιοῦσιν.

        télos dè mónon toùs ex amphoîn astôn polítas poioûsin.

        finally, they only make citizens of those [who are born] of [parents] both [of whom are] free.

2. (in the plural) the common people
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.71
   • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, Nicocles or the Cyprians 21

Declension

Second declension of ὁ ᾰ̓στός; τοῦ ᾰ̓στοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓στός ho astós	τὼ ᾰ̓στώ tṑ astṓ	οἱ ᾰ̓στοί hoi astoí
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓στοῦ toû astoû	τοῖν ᾰ̓στοῖν toîn astoîn	τῶν ᾰ̓στῶν tôn astôn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓στῷ tôi astôi	τοῖν ᾰ̓στοῖν toîn astoîn	τοῖς ᾰ̓στοῖς toîs astoîs
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓στόν tòn astón	τὼ ᾰ̓στώ tṑ astṓ	τοὺς ᾰ̓στούς toùs astoús
Vocative	ᾰ̓στέ asté	ᾰ̓στώ astṓ	ᾰ̓στοί astoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

• ᾰ̓στή f (astḗ)

Coordinate terms

• (native-born inhabitant of a city-state): μέτοικος (métoikos), ξένος (xénos)
• (one with civil but not political rights): πολῑ́της (polī́tēs), δοῦλος (doûlos)
• (common people): ἀγαθοί (agathoí)

References

• ἀστός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “ἀστός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press