βασιλεύς deriv. uncertain a king, chief, Hom.: later it was an hereditary king, opp. to τύραννος, Hdt., Attic; ἄναξ β. lord king, Aesch.: c. gen., β. νεῶν Aesch.; οἰωνῶν β., of the eagle, Aesch.:—Hom. has a comp. βασιλεύτερος more of a king, more kingly, Sup. βασιλεύτατος most kingly. of the kingʼs son, prince, or any one sharing in the government, Od. generally, a lord, master, householder, Il., Pind. at Athens, the second of the nine Archons was called βασιλεύς; he had charge of the public worship, and the conduct of criminal processes, Plat., etc. after the Persian war, the king of Persia was called βασιλεύς (without the Art.), Hdt., Attic; more rarely ὁ βασιλεύς, or ὁ μέγας βας. Hdt.