From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPhilokyōn means fond of dogs; a dog-lover.
- In LysisThe plural φιλόκυνες appears in the list of attachments that would become problematic if every loved object had to reciprocate.
- Reading contextThe inference being tested concerns the meaning and range of φίλος and its compounds; it does not require a general claim about whether animals can feel affection.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Nor again dog-lovers.”
- English renderings
- Fond of dogs; a dog-lover
Meaning
Fond of dogs; a dog-lover.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
The plural φιλόκυνες appears in the list of attachments that would become problematic if every loved object had to reciprocate. The compound marks the dog-lover’s orientation towards dogs.
Dogs connect this list with both Socrates’ catalogue of possessions and the poet’s hunting dogs in the following quotation. The inference being tested concerns the meaning and range of φίλος and its compounds; it does not require a general claim about whether animals can feel affection.