From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHetairos means companion; associate; member of a familiar circle.
- In LysisMiccus is Socrates’ companion (204a), and Lysis is Menexenus’ closest companion (206d).
- Reading contextThe edition consistently reserves “companion” for ἑταῖρος and “friend” for φίλος.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “my friend and companion.”
- English renderings
- Companion; associate; member of a familiar circle
Meaning
Companion; associate; member of a familiar circle.
Grammatical category: masculine noun.
Use in the book
Miccus is Socrates’ companion (204a), and Lysis is Menexenus’ closest companion (206d). Socrates would prefer acquiring a companion to Darius’ gold (211e). These uses convey association without serving as a definition of φίλος.
The address ὦ φίλε ἑταῖρε at 213b combines the words: friend and companion. At 216a, ὦ ἑταῖρε seems to address the unnamed listener of Socrates’ narration rather than one of the boys; that identification is a contextual reading. The edition consistently reserves “companion” for ἑταῖρος and “friend” for φίλος.