A. Pass., to be trusted or believed:
I. of persons, faithful, trusty, “ἑταῖρος” Il.15.331, etc.; “φύλακες” Hes.Th. 735 ; “μάρτυρες” Pi.P.1.88 ; “Ζηνὶ π. ἄγγελος” A.Pr.969, etc.: Comp. -ότερος Th.5.108, Isoc.10.38: Sup. “πιστότατος” Ar.Pl.27: c. dat., -“ότατος δέ οἱ ἔσκε” Il.16.147 ; “ὁ π. ἡμῖν κἀγαθὸς καλούμενος” S.Tr.541, cf. E.IA 153 (anap.), etc. : c. gen., τοῦ Φαλάνθου πιστόν τινα a trusted friend of P., Ergias ap.Ath.8.36of; “π. πρὸς τὰ συμβόλαια” Arist.Pol. 1283a33; οἱ πιστοί, in Persia, trusty councillors, X.An.1.5.15, cf. Hdt. 1.108 (Sup.); “τάδε Περσῶν πιστὰ καλεῖται” A.Pers.2 (anap.); so πιστὰ πιστῶν, = πιστότατοι, ib.681, cf. 528,979.
2. trustworthy, worthy of credit, Antipho 3.3.5 (Comp.), 5.3, Th.3.43. Adv., -“τῶς καὶ ἀδόλως” IG12.90.14,17.
3. genuine, “π. Ἀταλάντης γόνος” S.OC1322 ; Θηρικλέους π. τέκνον, of a cup, Theopomp.Com.32.1 ; unmistakable, νόσοι πονηραὶ καὶ π. LXX De.28.59.
II. of things, trustworthy, sure, ὅρκια π. Il.3.269, cf. Pi.O.11(10).6, etc.; τέκμαρ τῶνδε, τεκμήρια, μαντεῖα, A. Ag.272, 352, Th.66; “τοῖσι Ἕλλησι ὡς πιστὰ δὴ τὰ λεγόμενα ἦν” Hdt.8.83; “ἔσται πιστὰ καὶ ἄδολα καὶ ἁπλᾶ ἅπαντα τὰ ἀπ᾽ Ἀθηναίων Ῥηγίνοις” IG12.51.11 ; οὐκέτι πιστὰ γυναιξίν no longer can one trust women, Od.11.456 ; “βροτῶν δὲ π. οὐδέν” S.Fr.667.3 ; οὐκ ἔχοντες τὴν ἐλπίδα . . πιστὴν ἔτι no longer having such hope as could be relied on, Th.5.14 ; ὑπόληψις ἡ πιστοτάτη, of knowledge, Arist.Top.131a23.
2. deserving belief, credible, “π. καὶ οἰκότα” Hdt.6.82, cf. 8.80; “π. ὑπόθεσις” Pl.Phd. 107b; “τοῦτο π. ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς” Arist.Cael.276a14; πιθανὸν καὶ π. Id.Rh.1356b28; [λόγος] ἀποδεικτικὸς καὶ π. ib.1377b23.
III. πιστόν, τό, as Subst., pledge, security, warrant, “τὸ π. τῆς ἀληθείας” S.Tr.398, etc.; “τὸ π. τῆς ἐπιστήμης” Th.6.72 (but τὸ π. τῆς καθ᾽ ὑμᾶς πολιτείας its honesty, Id.1.68); τὸ π. ἔχοντες . . κἂν περιγενέσθαι feeling confidence that . . , Id.1.141 : freq. in pl., τὰ πιστὰ ποιέεσθαι,῀πίστιν ποιεῖσθαι, Hdt.3.8; πιστὰ θεῶν, of oaths, X.Cyr.4.2.7; ἐδώκαμεν καὶ ἐλάβομεν πιστά we gave and received pledges, c. fut. inf., Id.An.3.2.5, cf. 4.8.7, etc.; “πιστὰ ἠξίου γενέσθαι” Id.Cyr.7.4.3; “τὰ πίστ᾽ ἐδειξάτην” A.Ag.651 ; “στέργειν τὰ π. τῶνδε” Id.Eu.673 ; “τὰ π. ἐμαυτῷ τοῦ θράσους παρέξομαι” E.Ph. 268.
B. Act., believing, relying on, τινι Thgn.283, A.Pr.917, Pers.55 (anap.), S.OC1031 ; trustful, τῆς ἐλευθερίας τὸ π. Th.2.40, cf. Pl.Lg. 824 ; “τινὶ τὸ π. νέμειν” App.BC3.39.
2. obedient, loyal, “τὴν τῶν Ἀθηναίων χώραν οἰκείαν καὶ π. ποιήσασθαι” X.HG2.4.30.
3. faithful, believing, Act.Ap.16.1, IG3.3435.
C. Adv. πιστῶς with good faith, “μὴ π. καταμαρτυρηθείς” Antipho 2.4.7 ; loyally, D.3.26 : Comp. -οτέρως Aen.Tact.22.17.
2. persuasively, in Comp., “πιστότερον ἢ ἀληθέστερον” Antipho 3.3.4; credibly, demonstrably, Pl.Epin.983e; unmistakably, “κριθῆναι” Gal.9.857.
3. with disposition to believe, D.34.49: Comp., “πιστότερον πρὸς ἐκείνους ἢ πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς διακείμενοι” Lys.18.15.
