From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordTrachys is rough; its comparative and related verbs describe greater roughness or an action that roughens.
- In StobaeusThe Timaeus account explains astringent and austere tastes through earthy particles contracting and drying the tongue’s small vessels.
- In this edition“Rough” preserves the proposed physical action; the taste terms need their own explanation.
- A place to beginDifferent degrees of roughening distinguish two contracting tastes.
- English renderings
- rough
Meaning
Trachys is rough; its comparative and related verbs describe greater roughness or an action that roughens.
Use in the book
The Timaeus account explains astringent and austere tastes through earthy particles contracting and drying the tongue’s small vessels. Greater roughness produces the stronger astringent effect, while less roughening produces the weaker taste. A tactile vocabulary thus contributes to the ancient explanation of taste.
Places to read
- I.55.2.2Different degrees of roughening distinguish two contracting tastes.
Translation in this edition
“Rough” preserves the proposed physical action; the taste terms need their own explanation.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 494. “Austere” here describes a taste, not moral severity. The physiological mechanism belongs to the ancient account.