Discussion of ethnic and tribal names and derivations in -στης/-εστης, dialectal accentuation (Attic oxytonation), and examples (Visaltis, Iaxartes, Macedonian and other tribes).
ἀφ´ οὗ ἡ Βερεκυντία χώρα. Βισάλτης ὁ Ἡλίου καὶ Γῆς, ἀφ´ οὗ Βισαλτία πόλις καὶ χώρα Μακεδονίας. καὶ τὸ ἐθνικὸν ὁμοφώνως· ἔστι καὶ Βισάλτης ποταμός. Ἰαξάρτης ποταμὸς ὁ Τάναϊς. τὸ δὲ ἑκοντής, ἐθελοντής μετοχικά. παρὰ δὲ Ἀττικοῖς ὀξύνεται τὸ καθαρτής, ἀμυντής ἐπὶ τοῦ βοηθοῦ, φαιδρυντής, ποικιλτής, καλλυντής, πραϋντής. * Τὰ εἰς 'στης' ῥηματικὰ πολυσύλλαβα ὀξύνεται, λυριστής, λεπιστής, ὑβριστής, ἐρανιστής, Αἰτωλιστής ὁ αἰτωλίζων καὶ τὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν φρονῶν, Ἐορδιστής ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐορδίζω ὡς Λυδός λυδίζω Λυδιστής, δικαστής, ἡλιαστής, δανειστής, παλαιστής, χηρωστής παρὰ τὸ »χήρωσας δὲ γυναῖκα« (Il. Ρ 36). τὸ δὲ παρὰ Σοφοκλεῖ ἐν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ »στείχων δ´ ἀγρώστην ὄχλον« παρώνυμον ὡς καὶ τὸ μονώτης μονώστης. Τὰ διὰ τοῦ 'εστης' μὴ ὄντα ἐπιθετικὰ βαρύνεται, Ὀρέστης παρὰ τὸ ὄρος, Ὀφελέστης παρὰ τὸ ὄφελος, Θυέστης παρὰ τὸ θύος, Ἀκέστης. Διέστης—Παυσανίας δὲ Διάστας αὐτοὺς καλεῖ—Μακεδονικὸν ἔθνος ὡς καὶ Ὀρέστης παρ´ Ἑκαταίῳ Εὐρώπῃ. Πενέστης καὶ Ἐθνέστης—ἀπὸ Ἐθνέστου τοῦ Νεοπτολέμου παιδῶν ἑνός, ὡς Ῥιανὸς δʹ καὶ εʹ—Θεσσαλικὰ ἔθνη. καὶ Κυρρέστης ἔθνος Συρίας, ὡς Πολύβιος πέμπτῳ· Δημήτριος δὲ ὁ Ἀντιγόνου τὸ Κυρήστης διὰ τοῦ 'η' φησὶ καὶ καθ´ ὕφεσιν τοῦ ἑνὸς 'ρ'. ὁμοίως δὲ τῷ Ὀρέστης βαρύνεται καὶ Πιάστης ἔθνος πρὸς τῷ Πόντῳ καὶ Προνάστης ἔθνος Βοιωτίας »Βοιωτῶν δέ τινες τὸ πάλαι ἔθνος Προνάσται καλέονται«. καὶ Ἀσβύστης ἔθνος Λιβύης »οἵ τε Τρίτωνος ἐφ´ ὕδασιν Ἀσβύσταο« Καλλίμαχος
From whom comes the Berecynthian region. Bisaltes, son of Helios and Earth, from whom come Bisaltia, a city and region of Macedonia; and the ethnic name likewise. There is also a river Bisaltes. Iaxartes, a river, is the Tanais. And ἑκοντής and ἐθελοντής are participial. But among the Attics καθαρτής and ἀμυντής (in the sense of “helper”), φαιδρυντής, ποικιλτής, καλλυντής, πραϋντής are accented with an acute. The verbal polysyllables in -στης are accented with an acute: λυριστής, λεπιστής, ὑβριστής, ἐρανιστής, Αἰτωλιστής, “one who speaks Aetolian and thinks the thoughts of the Aetolians”; Ἐορδιστής from ἐορδίζω, as Λυδός—λυδίζω—Λυδιστής; δικαστής, ἡλιαστής, δανειστής, παλαιστής, χηρωστής from “χήρωσας δὲ γυναῖκα” (Il. Ρ 36). But the word in Sophocles’ Alexander, “στείχων δ´ ἀγρώστην ὄχλον”, is a derivative, as also μονώτης—μονώστης. The forms in -εστης that are not adjectival are accented with a grave: Ὀρέστης from ὄρος, Ὀφελέστης from ὄφελος, Θυέστης from θύος, Ἀκέστης. Διέστης—Pausanias, however, calls them Διάστας—is a Macedonian people, as also Ὀρέστης in Hecataeus’ Europa. Πενέστης and Ἐθνέστης—named from Ἐθνέστος, one of the sons of Neoptolemus, as Rhianus in books 4 and 5—are Thessalian peoples. And Κυρρέστης is a people of Syria, as Polybius in the fifth book; but Demetrius son of Antigonus says Κυρήστης with η and with contraction of one ρ. Likewise, as with Ὀρέστης, Πιάστης too, a people by the Pontus, and Προνάστης, a people of Boeotia, are accented with a grave: “Some of the Boeotians are called by their ancient name Προνάσται.” And Ἀσβύστης, a people of Libya: “and those of Ἀσβύσταο upon the waters of Triton,” Callimachus.