From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAmphoteros means both of two; the two together.
- In LysisThe plural ἀμφότεροι and the dual ἄμφω keep the two parties in view during the first definition test.
- Reading contextA loose translation such as “people” would conceal which proposed condition applies to one party and which to both.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Unless both love, neither is a friend.”
- English renderings
- Both of two; the two together
Meaning
Both of two; the two together.
Grammatical category: adjective/pronoun.
Use in the book
The plural ἀμφότεροι and the dual ἄμφω keep the two parties in view during the first definition test. The question is whether the affection of just one party makes both friends, or whether both must love before either is a friend.
The contrasts with μόνος, “alone,” ἕτερος, “one or the other,” and οὐδέτερος, “neither of the two,” are the logical machinery of the passage. A loose translation such as “people” would conceal which proposed condition applies to one party and which to both.