From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordApechthanomai means become hateful or objectionable to someone.
- In LysisHippothales positions himself behind other onlookers because he fears becoming hateful to Lysis if noticed.
- Reading contextSocrates later remembers this desire for concealment and stops himself from publicly addressing Hippothales.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “fearing that he might become hateful to him.”
- English renderings
- Become hateful or objectionable to someone
Meaning
Become hateful or objectionable to someone.
Grammatical category: verb.
Use in the book
Hippothales positions himself behind other onlookers because he fears becoming hateful to Lysis if noticed. The present optative ἀπεχθάνοιτο appears in the reported fear and takes a dative for the person whose hostility is feared.
The word names a possible adverse reaction rather than an established state of enmity between them. It gives dramatic weight to the earlier warning that bad courtship can alienate its target. Socrates later remembers this desire for concealment and stops himself from publicly addressing Hippothales.
Places to read
- 207bδεδιὼς μὴ αὐτῷ ἀπεχθάνοιτο — fearing that he might become hateful to him.