Plato › Greek Lexicon › μῦθος

μῦθος

mythos

word, speech

Appears 100 times across Plato's dialogues.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

μῦθος, ὁ, A. word, speech, freq. in Hom. and other Poets, in sg. and pl., ἔπος καὶ μῦθος Od. 11.561; opp. ἔργον, μύθων τε ῥητῆρʼ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων Il. 9.443, cf. 19.242; esp. mere word, μύθοισιν, opp. ἔγχεϊ, 18.252; ἔργῳ κοὐκέτι μύθῳ A. Pr. 1080 (anap.), etc.:—in special relations: 2. public speech, μ. ἄνδρεσσι μελήσει Od. 1.358; μύθοισιν σκολιοῖς Hes. Op. 194; μύθου ἐπισχεσίη the submission of a plea, Od. 21.71; πρὶν ἂν ἀμφοῖν μ. ἀκούσῃς, οὐκ ἂν δικάσαις Ar. V. 725; μύθοισι κεκάσθαι to be skilled in speech, Od. 7.157. 3. conversation, mostly in pl., 4.214,239, etc. 4. thing said, fact, matter, μῦθον δέ τοι οὐκ ἐπικεύσω ib.744; τὸν ὄντα μ. E. El. 346; threat, command, ἠπείλησεν μῦθον Il. 1.388, cf. 25, 16.83; charge, mission, 9.625; counsel, advice, 7.358. 5. thing thought, unspoken word, purpose, design, 1.545 (pl.); μύθων οὓς μνηστῆρες ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βυσσοδόμευον Od. 4.676, cf.777; ἔχετʼ ἐν φρεσὶ μῦθον 15.445; ἔχε σιγῇ μ., ἐπίτρεψον δὲ θεοῖσι 19.502, cf. 11.442; matter, θεοῖσι μῦθον ἐπιτρέψαι 22.289; μῦθον μυθείσθην, τοῦ εἵνεκα λαὸν ἄγειραν the reason why . . , 3.140. 6. saying, κατὰ τὸν ἡμέτερον μ. Pl. Epin. 980a; οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ μ. ἀλλʼ . . E. Fr. 484, cf. Pl. Smp. 177a, Call. Lav.Pall. 56, Ph. 1.601, Plu. 2.661a; saw, proverb, τριγέρων μ. τάδε φωνεῖ A. Ch. 314 (anap.). 7. talk of men, rumour, ἀγγελίαν . . τὰν ὁ μέγας μ. ἀέξει S. Aj. 226 (lyr.), cf. 188 (lyr., pl.), E. IA 72; report, message, S. Tr. 67 (pl.), E. Ion 1340. II. tale, story, narrative, Od. 3.94, 4.324, S. Ant. 11, etc.: in Hom. like the later λόγος, without distinction of true or false, μ. παιδός of or about him, Od. 11.492: so in Trag., ἀκούσει μῦθον ἐν βραχεῖ λόγῳ (χρόνῳ cod. M.) A. Pers. 713; μύθων τῶν Λιβυστικῶν Id. Fr. 139.1: in Prose, τὸν εἰκότα μ. the likely story, likelihood, Pl. Ti. 29d: prov., μ. ἀπώλετο, either of a story which never comes to an end, or of one told to those who do not listen, Cratin. 59, Crates Com. 21, Pl. Tht. 164d, cf. R. 621b, Lg. 645b, Phlb. 14a; μ. ἐσώθη ‘thatʼs the end of the story’, Phot. 2. fiction (opp. λόγος, historic truth), Pi. O. 1.29 (pl.), N. 7.23 (pl.), Pl. Phd. 61b, Prt. 320c, 324d, etc. 3. generally, fiction, μ. ἴδιοι Phld. Po. 5.5; legend, myth, Hdt. 2.45, Pl. R. 330d, Lg. 636c, etc.; ὁ περὶ θεῶν μ. Epicur. Ep. 3p.65U.; τοὺς μ. τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους γέγραφεν SIG 382.7 (Delos, iii B.C.). 4. professed work of fiction, childrenʼs story, fable, Pl. R. 377a; of Aesopʼs fables, Arist. Mete. 356b11. 5. plot of a comedy or tragedy, Id. Po. 1449b5, 1450a4, 1451a16. III. = στάσις, Panyas. in Coll.Alex.p.249, v.l. in Batr. 135; cf. μυθιήτης.
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