Quick Definition
ἀρέσκεια, ας, ἡ n.f. pleasing, willing service
Strong's Definition
from a derivative of 700; complaisance
KJV Usage: pleasing
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ας | ἀρέσκω
25.91 · Attitudes and Emotions · Acceptable To, To Be Pleased With
means of favor, that which pleases that which causes someone to be pleased with something
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀρεσκεία (T WH -κία [see I. c]), -as, ἡ, (fr. ἀρεσκεύω to be complaisant; hence not to be written [with R GL Tr] dpéoxeca, [cf. Chandler § 99; W. § 6, 1 ¢.; B. 12 (11)]), desire to please: περιπατεῖν ἀξίως τοῦ κυρίου εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκείαν, to please him in all things, Col. i. 10; (of the desire to please God, in Philo, opif. § 50; de profug. § 17; de victim. § 3sub fin. In native Grk. writ. commonly in a bad sense: Theophr. char. 3 (5); Polyb. 31, 26,5; Diod. 13, 53; al.; [cf. Bp. Lghtft. on Col. 1. ¢.]).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀρεσκεία areskeia 1x
a pleasing, desire of pleasing, Col. 1:10*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀρεσκία (Rec. -εία), -ας, ἡ
(< ἀρέσκω), [in LXX (-εία): Pr 31:30 (חֵן)*;]
pleasing, desire to please: Col 1:10. In Gk. writers (Arist., Polyb.), most freq. in bad sense, but in π., Inscr., and in Philo, as above (v. Deiss., BS, 224; MM, s.v.; Cremer, 642).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀρέσκεια. For the bad sense which prevails in classical writers (see Lightfoot on Col 119) a new literary citation may be made from Philodemus (i/B.c.) Ilept κολακείας (in Αἰ λείη. Mus. li. 623) ἄνευ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρεσκείας. But P Oxy IV. 729%4 (A.p. 137) is a close parallel for Paul’s use: ποι]ήσονται τοὺς ποτισμοὺς τοῦ [κτή]ματος καὶ τῆς καλαplelas] πεμπταίους πρὸς ἀρεσκί[αν] τοῦ Σαραπίωνος, “΄ they shall irrigate the vine-land and the reed-land every fifth day to the satisfaction of Sarapion” (Edd.). (We spell -ea on historical grounds, regarding the MSS. as inadequate witnesses for εἰ and u: see Proleg. p. 47). Deissmann BS p. 224 cites an additional witness from an inscription, testifying with many passages in Philo to a use of ἀρέσκεια in a good sense—including even a relation towards God—wholly independent of NT. We may compare his inscription with a nearly identical phrase in Priene 1137 (i/B-C.) τελειῶν δ᾽ ὃ μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνος ἐθεωρεῖτο πρὸς τὴν εἰς τὸ πλῆθος] ἀρέσκειαν.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀρεσκεία (areskeia) — pleasing. ἀρέσκ-εια [ᾰρ], ἡ, (ἀρεσκεύομαι) obsequiousness, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
2. in plural, ={δόξαι}, ἀρέσκοντα, αἱ ἀ. τῶν πολλῶν, of false superstitions, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; τὰ ταῖς κεναῖς σοφιστῶν ἀρεσκήαις (sic) ὑπεναντία[Refs 2nd c.BC+]
3. in good sense, πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ἀρετήν[NT+1st c.BC+]; πρὸς τὴν ἑτέρων ἀ. βιοῦν[Refs 3rd c.AD+]