From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordSophistēs means sophist; a skilled or knowledgeable teacher.
- In LysisSocrates calls Miccus an ἱκανὸς σοφιστής after being told that he teaches at the wrestling-school and admires Socrates.
- Reading contextIt names a person exercising skill, not a theory of sophistry or a sharply defined school opposed to Socrates.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “but a capable sophist.”
- English renderings
- Sophist; a skilled or knowledgeable teacher
Meaning
Sophist; a skilled or knowledgeable teacher.
Grammatical category: noun, masculine.
Use in the book
Socrates calls Miccus an ἱκανὸς σοφιστής after being told that he teaches at the wrestling-school and admires Socrates. The immediate assessment is favorable: Miccus is “no paltry man,” but competent.
This local usage does not establish the hostile sense that “sophist” sometimes carries in English. The entry belongs with the opening’s vocabulary of teaching and ability. It names a person exercising skill, not a theory of sophistry or a sharply defined school opposed to Socrates.
Places to read
- 204aἀλλ’ ἱκανὸς σοφιστής — but a capable sophist.