NOTES ON SCOPE AND USE
These glossaries offer not a guarantee but only a strong likelihood that in any passage of the Politics a given Greek term will have been rendered by one of the English words shown in the Greek–English list, and that conversely a given English word is the translation of the Greek terms indicated in the English–Greek list.
The glossaries are not exhaustive: in particular, (i) they concentrate on the more common terms of political, constitutional, legal, economic and social importance, with much lighter coverage of terms ethical, logical, metaphysical, psychological, artistic, epistemological and methodological; (ii) no attempt has been made to cover certain common and general notions for which Aristotle uses a wide range of apparent synonyms, e.g. the various words for ‘rich’, ‘poor’, ‘type’, ‘necessary’.
Some terms listed are exclusively technical, but most have a wide range of ordinary non-technical usages also, which are not listed. E.g. archē: technical meanings ‘rule’, ‘official’, etc., non-technical ‘beginning’; gnōrimos: non-technical adjective ‘familiar’, but also in a technical sense, ‘a notable’, to denote a member of a particular social and political group.
Generally, only one word from a ‘set’ is given, when the various forms and renderings of the rest may easily be inferred. E.g. the entry archē, ‘rule’, etc. suffices for archein ‘to rule’ and archōn ‘ruler’; but the rendering of archeion as ‘board’ or ‘committee’ could not be inferred, and is therefore listed. Comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, and passive forms of verbs, are similarly omitted.
Some of the more important departures from the equivalents shown are noted in footnotes or in the introductions to the chapters.
adikos unjust
adikein to treat unjustly, to wrong, to do wrong, to commit crime, to be criminal
agathos good
allagē exchange
andreia courage
anisos unequal
aoristos unlimited
archē (i) authority, rule; (ii) office, officer, official
archeion board, committee
aretē virtue
aristokratia aristocracy
aristos best
autarkēs self-sufficient
axia desert, merit, value
banausos mechanic(al)
barbaros non-Greek
basileus king
basileuein to reign
basilikos royal
boulē council
bouleuesthai to deliberate
bouleutikos deliberative
chrēmata goods, money
chrēmatismos business
chrēmatistikē acquisition of goods or wealth, money-making
chrēmatizesthai to acquire goods or wealth, to make money
dēmagōgos demagogue, popular leader
dēmiourgos workman
dēmokratia democracy
dēmos (i) people; (ii) democracy; (iii) deme
dēmosios public (adj.), cf. koinos
despotēs master
diagōgē civilized pursuits
dianoia intellect, intelligence
dikaios just, fair
to dikaion justice
dikaiosunē justice; sense of justice
dikē case, justice, lawsuit, penalty, trial
dikastēs juryman, judge
doulos slave
dunamis capacity, faculty, function
dunasteia power-group
ekklēsia assembly
eleutheros free, free man
eleutherios of or worthy of a free man, liberal
epieikēs reasonable, respectable
epimeleia care, concern, duty, responsibility, superintendence, supervision
ergon function, purpose
ethnos nation, usually with the adjective ‘foreign’
eudaimonia happiness
eugenēs well or nobly born
eugeneia good or noble birth
eunomia life under, or government by, good laws
euthuna account, scrutiny
genos birth, family, race
gnōrimos notable
grammata written rules
hairetos chosen by election, elected, elective
harmonia mode (in music)
hippeis cavalry
homoios (a)like, similar
hoplitēs heavy-infantryman
hubris arrogance, arrogant ill-treatment or simply ill-treatment
hupothesis assumption, principle, assumed or given situation
isos equal
kalos a fairly wide range of commendatory words, commonly fine, noble, good (overlaps inevitably with agathos)
kapēleia trade
kalaphronēsis contempt
eukataphronētos easily despised
kerdos profit
klēros (i) lot; (ii) estate
koinos common, communal, public, social, shared
koinōnein to associate, to participate in, to share, to be a member of
koinōnia association, participation, community
krisis case, choice, decision, judgement, verdict
ktēma piece or article of property
ktēsis property, in concrete sense, but esp. of its acquisition or possession
kurios binding, decisive, sovereign, supreme
leitourgia public service
logos (i) reason, reasoning; (ii) ratio
menein to endure, last long, survive, be stable or permanent
meros part, section
kata meros by turns
mesos middle, intermediate
to meson the mean
metabolē change. esp. of constitutions
metahlētikē exchange (of goods)
metechein to share
monarchos monarch, single or sole ruler
mousikē music
nomisma coin(age). currency: money
nomos convention, enactment, law. legislation, regulation
kata nomon legally: according to, or subject to, law
nomothetēs lawgiver, legislator
nous mind
oikonomia household-management
oligoi few
oligarchia oligarchy
orthos right, correct
ousia possessions
paideia education
pambasileia absolute kingship
parekbasis deviation
penesteia serfs
perioikoi peripheral population
philia affection, friendship, goodwill
philein to be well disposed towards
philolimia ambition
phronēsis practical wisdom
phthora destruction, dissolution
phulē tribe
phusis nature
plēthos multitude, populace; bulk or mass (of citizens, people, population, etc.. according to context)
polis state
politeia (i) constitution; (ii) polity; (iii) Republic (Plato’s)
politēs citizen
politeuesthai expressions such as to administer, operate or live under, a constitution; to engage in politics or affairs of state; to live, or function as a citizen or statesman, in a state
politeuma citizen-body
politikē statesmanship
politikos (i) statesman; (ii) to do with, affecting, appropriate in, a citizen, state, statesman, constitution, polity; political
polloi many, masses
praxis act. action, activity, deed, practice
proboulos pre-councillor
prostatēs champion
prutanis president
psēphisma decree
psuchē soul
scholē leisure, time off
sōphrosunē restraint, self-control
sōtēria maintaining, preservation, safety, stability
spoudaios sound, worthy
stasis faction
stratēgos general (n.)
sussilia common meals, refectories
technēskills, technique
technitēs skilled worker
telos end
thēs hired worker, hireling
timē esteem, distinction, honour
timēma property-class, -assessment, -qualification
turannos tyrant
account euthuna
act, action, activity praxis
affection philia
(a)like homoios
ambition philotimia
aristocracy aristokratia
arrogance, arrogant ill-treatment hubris
assembly ekklēsia
association see koin- set
assumption, assumed situation hupothesis
authority archē
best aristos
binding kurios
birth genos
board archeion
bulk (of the people, etc.) plēthos
business chrēmatismos
capacity dunamis
care epimeleia
case (legal) dikē, krisis
cavalry hippeis
champion prostatēs
change (n.), esp, of constitutions metabolē
choice krisis
citizen politēs
citizen -body politeuma
civilized pursuits diagōgē
coin (age) nomisma
committee archeion
common see koin- set
common meals sussitia
communal, community , see koin- set
concern epimeleia
constitution politeia
contempt kataphronēsis
convention nomos
correct orthos
crime adikia
criminal (be), commit crimes adikein
currency nomisma
decision krisis
decisive kurios
decree psēphisma
deed praxis
deliberate (v.) bouleuesthai
deliberative bouleutikos
demagogue dēmagōgos
deme dēmos
democracy dēmokratia, dēmos
desert axia
despised, easily eukataphronētos
destruction phthora
deviation parekbasis
dissolution phthora
distinction (i.e. honour, etc.) timē
duty epimeleia
education paideia
elected, elective, chosen by election hairetos
enactment nomos
end telos
endure menein
equal isos
estate klēros
esteem timē
exchange allagē, metablētikē
faction stasis
faculty dunamis
fair dikaios
family genos
few oligoi
fine kalos
free, free man eleutheros
of or worthy of a free man eleutherios
friendship philia
function dunamis, ergon
given situation hupothesis
good agathos (usually, but see also kalos)
good or noble birth eugeneia
good laws: government by or life under eunomia
goods chrēmata
acquisition of goods chrēmatistikē
to acquire goods chrēmatizesthai
goodwill philia
happiness eudaimonia
heavy-infantryman hoplitēs
hired worker, hireling thēs
honour timē
household-management oikonomia
ill-treatment, arrogant ill-treatment hubris
injustice adikia
intellect, intelligence dianoia
intermediate mesos
judge, juryman dikastēs
judgement krisis
just dikaios
justice to dikaion, dikē
sense of justice dikaiosunē
king basileus
kingship, absolute pambasileia
last long menein
law nomos
lawgiver nomothetēs
lawsuit dikē
legally kata nomon
legislation nomos
legislator nomothetēs
leisure scholē
liberal eleutherios
lot klēros
selected or chosen or appointed or filled, by lot klērōtos
many polloi
mass (of the people, etc.) plēthos
master (of slaves) despotēs
mean, the to meson
mechanic(al) banausos
member see koin- set
merit axia
middle mesos
mind nous
mode (in music) harmonia
monarch monarchos
money chrēmata; nomisma (esp. coinage)
money-making (n.) chrēmatistikē
to make money chrēmatizesthai
multitude plēthos
music mousikē
nation, foreign nation ethnos
nature phusis
noble kalos
nobly born eugenēs
non-Greek barbaros
notable gnōrimos
office, officer, official archē
oligarchy oligarchia
part meros
participation see koin- set
penalty dikē
people dēmos
peripheral population perioikoi
permanent, be menein
political politikos
polity politeia
populace plēthos
popular leader dēmagōgos
possessions ousia
power-group dunasteia
practical wisdom phronēsis
practice praxis
preservation sōlēna
president prutanis
principle hupothesis
profit kerdos
property ktēsis
piece or article of property ktēma
property-class, -assessment, -qualification timēma
public dēmosios. and see koin- set
public service leitourgia
purpose ergon
race genos
ratio logos
reason, reasoning logos
reasonable epieikēs
refectories sussitia
regulation nomos
reign (v.) basileuein
Republic (Plato’s) politeia
respectable epieikēs
responsibility epimeleia
restraint sōphrosunē
right (adj.) orthos
royal basilikos
rule(n.) archē
safety sōtēria
scrutiny euthuna
section meros
self control sōphrosunē
self-sufficient aularkēs
serfs penesteia
share (v.) metechein
shared see koin- set
similar homoios
single or sole ruler monarchos
situation (assumed or given) hupothesis
skill technē
skilled worker technitēs
slave doulos
social see koin- set
sound spoudaios
sovereign kurios
stability sōtēria
stable, be menein
state polis
statesman politikos
statesmanship politikē
superintendence epimeleia
supervision epimeleia
supreme kurios
survive menein
technique technē
time off scholē
trade kapēleia
treat unjustly adikein
trial dikē
tribe phulē
turns. by kala meros
tyrant turannos
unequal anisos
unjust adikos
unlimited aoristos
value axia
verdict krisis
virtue aretē
wealth, acquisition of chrēmatistikē to acquire wealth chrēmatizesthai
well-born eugenēs
well disposed (be) towards philein
workman dēmiourgos
worthy spoudaios
written rules grammata
wrong (v.), do wrong adikein