From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordNikē means victory; a success publicly celebrated.
- In LysisΝίκας first denotes equestrian victories at Pytho, the Isthmus, and Nemea, achievements that Hippothales repeats in his poems about Lysis’ family.
- Reading contextKeep the analogy visible without supposing that the text literally treats a relationship as a race or reports an actual erotic victory.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “horse-breeding and victories at Pytho.”
- English renderings
- Victory; a success publicly celebrated
Meaning
Victory; a success publicly celebrated.
Grammatical category: noun, feminine.
Use in the book
Νίκας first denotes equestrian victories at Pytho, the Isthmus, and Nemea, achievements that Hippothales repeats in his poems about Lysis’ family. Socrates promptly recasts the lover as a competitor praising himself before victory.
The associated perfect νενικηκέναι, “to have won,” and participle νενικηκότι, “as a winner,” make success in courtship resemble success in an athletic contest. Keep the analogy visible without supposing that the text literally treats a relationship as a race or reports an actual erotic victory.