From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMēkos is length, one of the dimensions used to characterize magnitude.
- In StobaeusThe Aristotelian report distinguishes length as a magnitude from things that possess it.
- In this edition“Length” is stable, but its directional meaning should follow the passage rather than a drawing imposed on it.
- A place to beginLength is distinguished from the things possessing magnitude.
- English renderings
- length
Meaning
Mēkos is length, one of the dimensions used to characterize magnitude. Its definition can depend on relative size or on an assigned direction.
Use in the book
The Aristotelian report distinguishes length as a magnitude from things that possess it. The Stoic account adds two usages: the greatest extent of a body, or its extent from below upward. A reader must identify which convention governs a description before converting its dimensions into a familiar modern orientation.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
“Length” is stable, but its directional meaning should follow the passage rather than a drawing imposed on it.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 141, 143–144. The alternative dimensional definitions are explicitly acknowledged by the source.