From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPsimythion means white lead, used here as a white coating.
- In LysisThe dative ψιμυθίῳ names the material with which someone hypothetically smears the boy’s fair hair.
- Reading contextThe passage is an analogy about the presence of a quality, not practical advice to use white lead or a claim that all changes produced externally are merely apparent.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “Might smear it with white lead.”
- English renderings
- White lead, used here as a white coating
Meaning
White lead, used here as a white coating.
Grammatical category: neuter noun.
Use in the book
The dative ψιμυθίῳ names the material with which someone hypothetically smears the boy’s fair hair. It supplies whiteness on the hair without, in the example’s terms, making the hair itself white.
The material makes the distinction between application and transformation visible. The passage is an analogy about the presence of a quality, not practical advice to use white lead or a claim that all changes produced externally are merely apparent.
Places to read
- 217dψιμυθίῳ ἀλείψειεν — Might smear it with white lead.