From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordXanthos means fair; blond, here of hair.
- In LysisThe original colour of the boy’s hair is specified as fair before the hypothetical application of white lead.
- Reading contextThe adjective supplies the baseline for the analogy rather than a moral evaluation or a general symbolism of colour.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Your hair being fair.”
- English renderings
- Fair; blond, here of hair
Meaning
Fair; blond, here of hair.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
The original colour of the boy’s hair is specified as fair before the hypothetical application of white lead. The feminine accusative ξανθάς agrees with τὰς τρίχας.
This starting colour matters: the hair can bear a white coating without having changed from its original state in the way ageing would change it. The adjective supplies the baseline for the analogy rather than a moral evaluation or a general symbolism of colour.
Places to read
- 217dξανθὰς οὔσας τὰς τρίχας — Your hair being fair.