ἀληθής

See also: αληθής

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἀλᾱθάς (alāthás) — Doric

Etymology

In form it would be from ἀ- (a-, “un-”) + *ληθής (*lēthḗs), from *λῆθος (*lêthos, “concealment, forgetfulness”) + -ής (-ḗs), the former component from λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”), thus "unconcealed, unforgotten"; see the latter for more. Compare also λήθω (lḗthō), λανθάνω (lanthánō).

Adjective

ᾰ̓ληθής • (alēthḗs) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓ληθές); third declension

1. (of things) true, real, genuine
2. (of people) truthful, honest
   • 385 BCE – 380 BCE, Plato, Symposium 217e:

     οἶνος […] ἦν ἀληθής

     oînos […] ên alēthḗs

     Wine is truthful. (in vino veritas)

Declension

Third declension of ᾰ̓ληθής; ᾰ̓ληθές (contracted, Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓ληθής alēthḗs	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî		ᾰ̓ληθεῖς alētheîs	ᾰ̓ληθῆ alēthê
Genitive		ᾰ̓ληθοῦς alēthoûs	ᾰ̓ληθοῦς alēthoûs		ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn	ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn		ᾰ̓ληθῶν alēthôn	ᾰ̓ληθῶν alēthôn
Dative		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî		ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn	ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn		ᾰ̓ληθέσῐ / ᾰ̓ληθέσῐν alēthési(n)	ᾰ̓ληθέσῐ / ᾰ̓ληθέσῐν alēthési(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓ληθῆ alēthê	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî		ᾰ̓ληθεῖς alētheîs	ᾰ̓ληθῆ alēthê
Vocative		ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ alētheî		ᾰ̓ληθεῖς alētheîs	ᾰ̓ληθῆ alēthê
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓ληθῶς alēthôs			ᾰ̓ληθέστερος alēthésteros			ᾰ̓ληθέστᾰτος alēthéstatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of ᾰ̓ληθής; ᾰ̓ληθές (uncontracted, Epic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓ληθής alēthḗs	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée		ᾰ̓ληθεῖς / ᾰ̓ληθέες alētheîs / alēthées	ᾰ̓ληθέᾰ alēthéa
Genitive		ᾰ̓ληθέος / ᾰ̓ληθεῦς alēthéos / alētheûs	ᾰ̓ληθέος / ᾰ̓ληθεῦς alēthéos / alētheûs		ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn	ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn		ᾰ̓ληθέων alēthéōn	ᾰ̓ληθέων alēthéōn
Dative		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέῐ̈ alētheî / alēthéï	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέῐ̈ alētheî / alēthéï		ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn	ᾰ̓ληθοῖν alēthoîn		ᾰ̓ληθέσῐ / ᾰ̓ληθέσῐν alēthési(n)	ᾰ̓ληθέσῐ / ᾰ̓ληθέσῐν alēthési(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓ληθέᾰ alēthéa	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée		ᾰ̓ληθέᾰς alēthéas	ᾰ̓ληθέᾰ alēthéa
Vocative		ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés	ᾰ̓ληθές alēthés		ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée	ᾰ̓ληθεῖ / ᾰ̓ληθέε alētheî / alēthée		ᾰ̓ληθεῖς / ᾰ̓ληθέες alētheîs / alēthées	ᾰ̓ληθέᾰ alēthéa
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓ληθέως alēthéōs			ᾰ̓ληθέστερος alēthésteros			ᾰ̓ληθέστᾰτος alēthéstatos
Notes:		Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Antonyms

• ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, untrue; deceived, misled”)
• ψυδρός (psudrós, “false, untrue; lying, deceitful”)

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓λήθεια (alḗtheia)
• ᾰ̓ληθῶς (alēthôs, adverb)

Descendants

• Greek: αληθής (alithís), αληθινός (alithinós)

Further reading

• “ἀληθής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἀληθής”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ἀληθής”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• ἀληθής in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἀληθής in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• ἀληθής in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• G227 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.
  • accurate idem, page 7.
  • actual idem, page 10.
  • authentic idem, page 53.
  • correct idem, page 174.
  • right idem, page 714.
  • true idem, page 898.
  • truthful idem, page 899.
  • veracious idem, page 948.