From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAgra means quarry, game; what is being hunted.
- In LysisThe accusative ἄγραν is the object made harder to catch by the inept hunter.
- Reading contextThe lexical contrast helps display the one-sided, strategic form of the initial courtship advice without turning that perspective into a definition of friendship.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “he makes the quarry harder to catch.”
- English renderings
- Quarry, game; what is being hunted
Meaning
Quarry, game; what is being hunted.
Grammatical category: noun, feminine.
Use in the book
The accusative ἄγραν is the object made harder to catch by the inept hunter. It identifies the pursued object, whereas θηρευτής names the pursuer. In Socrates’ analogy the quarry corresponds to the beloved, whose pride the lover’s praise increases. The lexical contrast helps display the one-sided, strategic form of the initial courtship advice without turning that perspective into a definition of friendship.
Places to read
- 206aδυσαλωτοτέραν τὴν ἄγραν ποιοῖ — he makes the quarry harder to catch.