From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Filling
πλήρωσις
plērōsisPlērōsis means filling; the process of making full.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPlērōsis means filling; the process of making full.
- In LysisThe genitive πληρώσεως gives the object of desire attributed to the empty.
- Reading contextHere it is directed towards changing a condition.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “And the empty desires filling.”
- English renderings
- Filling; the process of making full
Meaning
Filling; the process of making full.
Grammatical category: feminine noun.
Use in the book
The genitive πληρώσεως gives the object of desire attributed to the empty. It denotes a process, whereas πλῆρες denotes the resulting condition of fullness.
The distinction is useful when reading the list of opposites: desire is not always directed towards another object described by an opposing adjective. Here it is directed towards changing a condition.
Places to read
- 215eτὸ δὲ κενὸν πληρώσεως — And the empty desires filling.
From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Repletion
πλήρωσις
plērōsisPlērōsis is filling or replenishment.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPlērōsis is filling or replenishment.
- In StobaeusThe Philebus contrasts hunger with eating that replenishes, and thirst with moisture refilling what has dried out.
- In this edition“Replenishment” is usually clearer than “repletion,” which can suggest overfilling in modern English.
- A place to beginEating and drinking restore losses and illustrate pleasure.
- English renderings
- filling; replenishment; repletion
Meaning
Plērōsis is filling or replenishment. It emphasizes restoration where a deficiency has arisen.
Use in the book
The Philebus contrasts hunger with eating that replenishes, and thirst with moisture refilling what has dried out. Pleasure is explained through a return toward the natural condition after depletion. Repletion therefore belongs to a relational account of loss and restoration rather than simply meaning excessive fullness.
Places to read
- I.47.13.2Eating and drinking restore losses and illustrate pleasure.
Translation in this edition
“Replenishment” is usually clearer than “repletion,” which can suggest overfilling in modern English.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 308. The account gives a proposed general explanation through familiar examples; it does not identify every pleasure with a single bodily process.
From the book
Empedocles’ The Testimonia, Volume II
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Replenishment
τὴν ἀναπλήρωσιν (tēn anaplērōsin); ἐπαναπληροῦσθαι (epanaplērousthai)
Anaplērōsis is filling up or replenishment.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAnaplērōsis is filling up or replenishment.
- In this workAëtius connects pleasure to what is lacking in relation to its replenishment.
- In this editionThe prepositional construction “toward its replenishment” is part of the compressed doxographic sentence.
- A place to readConnects pleasure and desire for the like to replenishment of deficiency.
Meaning
Anaplērōsis is filling up or replenishment. The related verb in the optical account describes what is lacking being filled up. Both forms indicate restoration relative to a deficit, without by themselves defining the optimum amount or the process's final cause.
Use in the book
Aëtius connects pleasure to what is lacking in relation to its replenishment. The deficient thing desires its like; pleasure thus concerns a relation between the recipient's constitution and the incoming material, rather than likeness considered in isolation. The passage helps explain why an animal would be moved toward what is congenial to it.
The visual account offers a useful parallel: external conditions make good an internal lack in certain eyes. Yet replenishment is not universally beneficial without limit, because the same report says excess can block the contrary passages. The contrast suggests why the amount and condition of reception matter. The source does not, however, explicitly formulate a single general theory combining visual compensation and appetite. That connection remains a comparison between testimonies and should be labelled as such.
Places to read
- A 95 (testimony)Aëtius, first notice. Connects pleasure and desire for the like to replenishment of deficiency.
- A 86 §§ 7–8 (testimony)2Theophrastus, On the Senses 8. Uses a related verb for filling what an eye lacks.
Translation in this edition
The prepositional construction “toward its replenishment” is part of the compressed doxographic sentence. It need not be expanded into an Aristotelian final-cause explanation or an ethical doctrine of pleasure.