From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPhilēkoos means fond of hearing; eager to listen to conversation.
- In LysisHippothales predicts that Lysis will approach Socrates because he is exceptionally φιλήκοος.
- Reading contextThe boy’s initial hesitation shows that intellectual attraction can coexist with social shyness.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “for he is exceptionally fond of hearing, Socrates.”
- English renderings
- Fond of hearing; eager to listen to conversation
Meaning
Fond of hearing; eager to listen to conversation.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
Hippothales predicts that Lysis will approach Socrates because he is exceptionally φιλήκοος. The immediate object of this fondness is conversation: Socrates need only sit and talk with Ctesippus.
The description anticipates Lysis’ repeated looks toward the speakers and his later wish to hear another discussion even after his own questioning ends. It denotes a disposition toward listening, not established expertise or a formal commitment to a philosophical school. The boy’s initial hesitation shows that intellectual attraction can coexist with social shyness.