Charmides

Glossary of Key Terms

The English words on which the argument depends, in alphabetical order, with the Greek they render and the places where they matter, by Stephanus page. Where a word has a longer entry in the Key Words of the Dialogue, the Glossary says so.

agree, ὁμολογεῖν (homologein); agreement, ὁμολογία. The partners’ steps in the argument: 158c, 160e, 163a, 164c, 165b–c, 172d–e, 175a–d. At 162e and 166b “agree” renders συγχωρεῖν (see concede).

appropriate to one, οἰκεῖος (oikeios). Critias’ word, paired with “one’s own” and opposed to “belonging to others”: 163c–d.

argument, λόγος (logos), where it means the discussion itself: 160b–d, 162e, 166c–e, 169d, 173e, 175b–c, 176a. Elsewhere “account” (158d, 164c, 165b), “principle” (156c, 161e) and “words” (157a, “beautiful words”).

at a loss, ἀπορεῖν (aporein); perplexity, ἀπορία; no way through (167b). 155c, 156b, 167b, 169c–d. See Key Words, “Look into, and at a loss”.

bad, κακός (kakos). Never “evil”: 156e, 161a–b, 163e, 174b–d. See Key Words, “Good and bad”.

bashful, αἰσχυντηλός (aischyntēlos): 160e; “bashfulness” at 158c.

beautiful, καλός (kalos), of persons, of the object of love, and of the charm’s words: 154a–155d, 157a, 158c, 167e. See fine, and Key Words, “Fine, beautiful”.

beautiful and good, καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθός (kalos kai agathos), the stock phrase καλὸς κἀγαθός for a gentleman, in its full form: 154e.

belonging to others, ἀλλότριος (allotrios): 162a, 163c.

beneficial, ὠφέλιμος (ōphelimos); benefit, ὠφελεῖν, ὠφελία; of no benefit, ἀνωφελής. 163c, 164b–c, 165d, 167b, 169b–c, 171d, 174d–175a, 175d–e; ἀνωφελής is “of no use” at 175b, where it plays on use. (“Benefit” at 172d renders ὀνίνημι.) See Key Words, “Benefit”.

charm, ἐπῳδή (epōidē); to charm, to sing a charm, ἐπᾴδειν. 155e–158c, 175e–176b. See Key Words, “Charm and remedy”.

concede, grant, συγχωρεῖν (synchōrein), of steps allowed for the sake of argument: 164d, 169c–d, 172c, 173c, 175b–c; “agree” at 162e and 166b.

craft, τέχνη (technē): 161e, 165d, 171c, 174e–175a; “art” at 165e (“the art of calculation”).

craftsman, δημιουργός (dēmiourgos): 162e, 164a–b, 171c, 173c; “the craftsman of health”, “of no benefit”, 174e–175a.

do, πράττειν (prattein); doing, πρᾶξις. Kept apart from make and work: 161b–163e, 171d–172a. See Key Words, “Doing, making, working”.

do well, εὖ πράττειν (eu prattein), both acting well and faring well: 172a, 173d, 174b. See Key Words, “Doing well, and happy”.

doctor, ἰατρός (iatros): 156b–157b, 164a–c, 170e–171c, 173b. Medicine, ἰατρική (iatrikē): 165c, 170b–171b, 174c–e; “doctoring” once, of Socrates’ pretence, 158e.

doing one’s own business, τὸ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πράττειν (to ta heautou prattein): 161b–163c. See Key Words.

examine, ἐξετάζειν (exetazein): 167a, 170d, 172b; also for compounds of σκοπεῖν where a person is examined, 171b, 171d.

fine, καλός (kalos), of acts, works and things: 159c–160d, 163c, 165d–e, 172a, 175a. See beautiful.

force, βιάζεσθαι (biazesthai): 176c–d.

good, ἀγαθός (agathos): 160e–161b, 163e, 169b, 172a–d, 174b–e, 175e.

guardian, ἐπίτροπος (epitropos): 155a, 176c.

happy, εὐδαίμων (eudaimōn); be happy, εὐδαιμονεῖν: 172a, 173d–174c. Happiness, εὐδαιμονία: 158a.

health, ὑγίεια (hygieia), the product of medicine: 157a–b, 165d, 174e–175a. The healthy, what is healthy, τὸ ὑγιεινόν (to hygieinon), the object of medicine: 165c, 170a–171b, 174b. The two are kept apart: medicine is knowledge of the healthy and produces health.

impostor, ἀλαζών (alazōn): 173c.

inquire, inquiry, ζητεῖν, ζήτησις (zētein): 160a, 165b, 165e, 175b, 175d–176a; “search”, “seeking”, 172c; “looking for”, 166b.

know, εἰδέναι, γιγνώσκειν, ἐπίστασθαι: all “know”, so that the formula “knowing what one knows and what one does not know” keeps the same verb wherever it recurs (167a–b, 169d–170a, 170d, 171d, 172a, 172c).

knowing oneself, γιγνώσκειν ἑαυτόν (gignōskein heauton): 164c–165b, 167a, 169d–e. See Key Words.

knowledge, ἐπιστήμη (epistēmē); kinds of knowledge for the plural: 165c–175b. Knowledge of knowledge, ἐπιστήμη ἐπιστήμης: 166e, 169b–d, 170a, 170c, 171c, 175b. “Knowledge” also renders γνῶσις twice, 169e. See Key Words.

knowledgeably, ἐπιστημόνως (epistēmonōs): 173d–174b.

lack of knowledge, ἀνεπιστημοσύνη (anepistēmosynē): 166e, 167c, 169b, 170a–b, 171c, 172b, 173d, 174d–e.

look into, σκοπεῖν, σκέπτεσθαι (skopein, skeptesthai); way of looking into it, σκέψις: 158d–e, 161b–c, 162e, 165c, 167b, 168a, 169b, 169d, 171a–b, 172e, 173a, 175a. See Key Words.

make, ποιεῖν (poiein); making, ποίησις: 162e–164b. See do, work.

modesty, αἰδώς (aidōs): 160e–161b. See Key Words.

persuade, πείθειν (peithein); obey, be persuaded, πείθεσθαι: 156a, 157b–c, 176b–c.

pilot, κυβερνήτης (kybernētēs); the pilot’s art, κυβερνητική: 173b, 174c.

power, δύναμις (dynamis): 156b, 168b–169a.

prophet, μάντις (mantis); prophecy, μαντική: 164e, 173c, 174a. Prophetic hunch, μαντεύομαι: 169b.

quietness, ἡσυχιότης (hēsychiotēs); quietly, ἡσυχῇ: 159b–160d.

rascal, you rascal!, ὦ μιαρέ (ō miare): 161b, 174b.

refute, ἐλέγχειν (elenchein): 162d, 166c–e.

remedy, φάρμακον (pharmakon): 155b–158c.

riddle, αἴνιγμα (ainigma); speak in riddles, αἰνίττεσθαι: 161c, 162a–b, 164e.

temperance, σωφροσύνη (sōphrosynē); temperate, σώφρων; be temperate, σωφρονεῖν. Throughout, one English word for one Greek word. See Key Words.

use, ὄφελος (ophelos): 155e, 175b (with “of no use”, ἀνωφελής). Useful, χρηστός, χρήσιμος: 165a, 165c (“what use is it”), 172c, 175a. Kept apart from beneficial.

work (noun), ἔργον (ergon): 161e, 163b–c, 165d–166a, 174d–e, 175a–b. Work (verb), ἐργάζεσθαι: 162a, 163b–c. See do, make.