Discussion of accentuation of disyllabic words ending in -τος and -ος, with place-name examples and rules about when they are oxytones or barytones, including exceptions (superlatives, verbals), and citations.
Τὰ εἰς 'στος' δισύλλαβα μονογενῆ ὀξύνεται, εἰ μὴ ἡ πρὸ τέλους συλλαβὴ ἔχοι τι τῶν φύσει βραχέων, ἱστός, ἔστι καὶ νῆσος Λιβύης. Σηστός πόλις πρὸς τῇ Προποντίδι. λέγεται δὲ ἀρσενικῶς παρ´ Ἐφόρῳ· οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι «ἐν τῇ Σηστῷ» φασιν. παστός, μαστός, ξυστός. Κραστός πόλις Σικελίας τῶν Σικανῶν. Φίλιστος Σικελικῶν τρισκαιδεκάτῳ. Γραστός παῖς Μυγδόνος, ἀφ´ οὗ Γρηστωνία χώρα Θρᾴκης. Φαιστός πόλις Κρήτης «ἐς Φαιστόν, μικρὸς δὲ λίθος» (Od. γ 296). ἔστι καὶ ἄλλη Φαιστός Πελοποννήσου ἡ πρότερον Φρίξα καλουμένη. τὸ δὲ Φαῖστος ἐπὶ τοῦ ἥρωος βαρύνεται «Ἰδομενεὺς δ´ ἄρα Φαῖστον» (Il. Ε 43). σεσημείωται τὸ Δύστος πόλις Εὐβοίας. Θεόπομπος ἐν Φιλιππικῶν κδʹ «ἀποστήσας δὲ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ περιοικίδι τῶν Ἐρετριέων ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ πόλιν Δύστον». καὶ Κάστος καὶ Νάστος πόλις Θρᾴκης, ἣ καὶ Νέστος λέγεται· Ἀπολλόδωρος δευτέρᾳ περὶ γῆς· βαρύτονα. τὸ δὲ Νέστος πατὴρ Καλλιρρόης καὶ πόλις καὶ ποταμὸς Ἰλλυρίας καὶ κόστος καὶ νόστος βραχεῖ παραλήγουσι. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' δισύλλαβα ἔχοντα πρὸ τοῦ 'τ' 'σ', εἰ παρασχηματίζοιτο εἰς διάφορα γένη, ὀξύνεσθαι θέλει, εἰ μὴ ὑπερθετικὰ εἴη ἢ ἐκ πλειόνων συλλαβῶν εἰς δισυλλαβίαν μεταστῇ, πιστός, ξυστός, ἀστός, μεστός, κεστός. τὸ δὲ πλεῖστος, λῷστος, ῥᾷστος ὑπερθετικὰ ὄντα βαρύνεται. καὶ τὸ Πλεῖστος ποταμὸς ἐν Δελφοῖς βαρύνεται «πολλὰ δὲ Κωρύκιαι νύμφαι Πλείστοιο θύγατρες». Ἀπολλώνιος (Argon. II 711). τινὲς δὲ ἀναγινώσκουσι προπερισπωμένως ἐπὶ τῆς γενικῆς, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων λέγεται Πλειστός ὀξυτόνως, οὐκ ἐπικρατεῖ δὲ ἡ ἐθνικὴ παράδοσις. καὶ τὸ δύστος ὁ δύστηνος καὶ πόστος ἐκ τοῦ πόσατος γέγονεν. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' ῥηματικὰ μὴ ὄντα ἀριθμητικά, πρὸ τοῦ 'τ' τὸ 'κ' ἢ τὸ 'π' ἔχοντα ὀξύνεται, πλεκτός, ἑλκτός, πνικτός, θελκτός. τὸ δὲ οἶκτος βαρύνεται. οὐ γὰρ ῥηματικόν. —ἄλλως τε φιλεῖ πως τὰ εἰς 'ος' λήγοντα δισύλλαβα μονογενῆ ἀπὸ τῆς 'οι' διφθόγγου ἀρχόμενα βαρύνεσθαι, ὁπότε πρὸ τῆς 'ος' συλλαβῆς σύμφωνον ἢ σύμφωνα ὑπάρχει— καὶ τὸ ἄρκτος καὶ πέκτος ὁ πόκος καὶ τὸ κάκτος. καὶ Λύκτος πόλις Κρήτης ἀπὸ Λύκτου τοῦ Λυκάονος· ἔνιοι δὲ Λύττον αὐτήν φασιν διὰ τὸ κεῖσθαι ἐν μετεώρῳ τόπῳ. τὸ γὰρ ἄνω καὶ ὑψηλὸν λύττον
Disyllabic, single-gender words in -στος are accented on the acute, unless the syllable before the last contains one of the naturally short vowels: ἱστός; there is also an island of Libya called νῆσος. Σηστός, a city on the Propontis. It is used in the masculine by Ephorus; but the Athenians say “ἐν τῇ Σηστῷ”. παστός, μαστός, ξυστός. Κραστός, a city of Sicily of the Sicanians. Philistus in the thirteenth book of his Sicilian History. Γραστός, son of Mygdon, from whom comes Γρηστωνία, a region of Thrace. Φαιστός, a city of Crete: “ἐς Φαιστόν, μικρὸς δὲ λίθος” (Od. γ 296). There is also another Φαιστός of the Peloponnese, formerly called Φρίξα. But Φαῖστος, in the case of the hero, is accented on the grave: “Ἰδομενεὺς δ᾽ ἄρα Φαῖστον” (Il. Ε 43). Noted as exceptional is Δύστος, a city of Euboea. Theopompus in the twenty-fourth book of the Philippica: “ἀποστήσας δὲ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ περιοικίδι τῶν Ἐρετριέων ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ πόλιν Δύστον”. Also Κάστος and Νάστος, a city of Thrace, which is also called Νέστος; Apollodorus in the second book On the Earth: with barytone accent. But Νέστος, father of Callirrhoe, and a city and a river of Illyria, and also κόστος and νόστος have a short penult. Disyllables in -τος that have σ before the τ, if they are inflected into different genders, tend to be accented on the acute, unless they are superlatives or have been reduced from more syllables to disyllabic form: πιστός, ξυστός, ἀστός, μεστός, κεστός. But πλεῖστος, λῷστος, ῥᾷστος, being superlatives, are barytone. And Πλεῖστος, a river at Delphi, is barytone: “πολλὰ δὲ Κωρύκιαι νύμφαι Πλεῖστοιο θύγατρες”. Apollonius (Argon. II 711). Some, however, read the genitive with circumflex on the antepenult, since it is also pronounced by the locals as Πλειστός with acute; but the local tradition does not prevail. And δύστος, ‘wretched’, and πόστος have come from πόσατος. Verbal adjectives in -τος that are not numerals, having κ or π before the τ, are accented on the acute: πλεκτός, ἑλκτός, πνικτός, θελκτός. But οἶκτος is barytone, for it is not verbal.—Moreover, disyllabic, single-gender words ending in -ος that begin with the diphthong οι tend somehow to be barytone whenever before the -ος syllable there is a consonant or consonants—thus also ἄρκτος and πέκτος, ‘the fleece’, and κάκτος. And Λύκτος, a city of Crete, from Λύκτος son of Lycaon; but some call it Λύττον because it lies in an elevated place. For what is up and high is λύττον.