I. of persons, brave, stout, “ἐσθλὸν ἐνὶ προμάχοισι” Il.4.458, etc. ; opp. δειλός, Hes.Op.214 ; noble, opp. “κακός, οὔ τινα γὰρ τίεσκον..οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐ.” Od.22.415 ; “πένιχρος οὐδεὶς πέλετ᾽ ἔσλος οὐδὲ τίμιος” Alc.49 ; “τόκηες” Id.Supp.25.12 ; “εἴτ᾽ εὐγενὴς πέφυκας εἴτ᾽ ἐσθλῶν κακή” S.Ant.38 ; “ἐσθλοῦ πατρὸς παῖς” Id.Ph.96 ; “ἀπ᾽ ἐσθλῶν δωμάτων” E.Andr.772 (lyr.), etc. ; of horses, wellbred, Il.23.348.
2. morally good, faithful, “φίλος” S.OT611 ; “εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγώς” Id.El.24 ; τινι Naumach. ap. Stob.4.23.7 ; “κύνα ἐσθλὴν ἐκείνῳ, πολεμίαν τοῖς δύσφροσιν” A.Ag.608.
3. like ἐΰς and φίλος, weakened almost to a possess. pron., “ἐσθλὸν ἀνεψιὸν ἐξεναρίξας” Il.16. 573, cf. 5.469, Od.3.379.
2. of mind, qualities, etc., “νόος” Od.7.73 ; “βουλή” Il.9.76 ; “ἔπος” 1.108 ; “κλέος” 5.3, Pi.P.4.175 : freq. in neut. pl., “μυρί᾽..ἐσθλὰ ἔοργε” Il.2.272 ; “ἔσθλ᾽ ἀγορεύοντες, κακὰ δὲ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον” Od.17.66 ; “ἔσλων ἢ κάλων” Sapph.28, cf. Supp.2.4.
3. fortunate, lucky, “ὄρνιθες” Od. 24.311 ; “ὕπαρ” 19.547 ; “χάρματα” Pi.O.2.19 ; “γάμοι” E.IA609 ; “τύχη” S.OC1506 ; “ἀράσαντο πάμπαν ἔσλα τῷ γάμβρῳ” Sapph.51.4 ; ἐσθλόν, τό, good luck, prosperity, opp. κακόν, Il.24.530 ; “παρὰ καὶ κακῷ ἐσθλὸν ἔθηκεν” Od.15.488 ; “ἐσλὸν βαθύ” Pi.O.12.12.
5. ἐσθλόν [ἐστι] c. inf., it is good, expedient to.., Il.24.301 : also pl., “οὐ γὰρ ἐσθλὰ..κερτομέειν” Archil.64.—Poet. word, used by X.Cyr.1.5.9, Chrysipp.Stoic.3.60, Luc.Syr.D.19 (Ion.), etc.