From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPhilortyx means fond of quails; a quail-lover.
- In LysisThe passage has the plural φιλόρτυγες, a form whose stem differs from the dictionary nominative.
- Reading contextHere the word’s role is lexical and argumentative: the person’s fondness is enough for the familiar compound, whereas requiring the bird’s answering affection would strain its ordinary application.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Nor quail-lovers.”
- English renderings
- Fond of quails; a quail-lover
Meaning
Fond of quails; a quail-lover.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
The passage has the plural φιλόρτυγες, a form whose stem differs from the dictionary nominative. It belongs with horse-lovers, dog-lovers, wine-lovers, and lovers of exercise in the test of reciprocity.
The quail is already one of Socrates’ examples of a prized acquisition at 211e. Here the word’s role is lexical and argumentative: the person’s fondness is enough for the familiar compound, whereas requiring the bird’s answering affection would strain its ordinary application.
Places to read
- 212dοὐδὲ φιλόρτυγες — Nor quail-lovers.