From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHypobarbarizō means speak somewhat foreign-sounding or imperfect Greek.
- In LysisThe participle ὑποβαρβαρίζοντες describes the tutors as they express annoyance and continue calling the boys.
- Reading contextIt helps give the interruption a particular dramatic sound, and should not be expanded into unsupported claims about the tutors’ precise origins.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “They expressed annoyance in imperfect Greek.”
- English renderings
- Speak somewhat foreign-sounding or imperfect Greek
Meaning
Speak somewhat foreign-sounding or imperfect Greek.
Grammatical category: verb.
Use in the book
The participle ὑποβαρβαρίζοντες describes the tutors as they express annoyance and continue calling the boys. The edition renders the manner as “in their half-foreign Greek.”
The word describes their speech in the scene, not an inability to communicate: their demand to go home is effective. It helps give the interruption a particular dramatic sound, and should not be expanded into unsupported claims about the tutors’ precise origins.
Places to read
- 223aὑποβαρβαρίζοντες ἠγανάκτουν — They expressed annoyance in imperfect Greek.