From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordEchthra means enmity; hostility.
- In LysisThe noun names the relation or condition corresponding to ἐχθρός.
- Reading contextThe noun is therefore more than a label for unpleasant feelings; it supplies a counterexample to an unrestricted rule about opposites.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Is enmity not most opposite to friendship?”
- English renderings
- Enmity; hostility
Meaning
Enmity; hostility.
Grammatical category: feminine noun.
Use in the book
The noun names the relation or condition corresponding to ἐχθρός. In the account supported by Hesiod it joins envy and rivalry as the alleged outcome of resemblance. The later objection treats enmity as the extreme opposite of friendship.
This is a decisive test of the general assertion that opposites are friends: taken without qualification, the assertion would make friendship and enmity friendly to one another. The noun is therefore more than a label for unpleasant feelings; it supplies a counterexample to an unrestricted rule about opposites.