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σοφός

sophos

skilled in any handicraft

Appears 471 times across Plato's dialogues.

Frequency by work

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Dictionary (LSJ)

σοφός, ή, όν, A. skilled in any handicraft or art, clever, ἁρματηλάτας σ. Pi. P. 5.115, cf. N. 7.17; κυβερνήτης A. Supp. 770; μάντις Id. Th. 382; οἰωνοθέτας S. OT 484 (lyr.); of a sculptor, E. Fr. 372; even of hedgers and ditchers, Margites Fr. 2; but in this sense mostly of poets and musicians, Pi. O. 1.9, P. 1.42, 3.113; ἐν κιθάρᾳ σ. E. IT 1238 (lyr.), cf. Ar. Ra. 896 (lyr.), etc.; τὴν τέχνην -ώτερος ib.766; περί τι Pl. Lg. 696c; γλώσσῃ σ. S. Fr. 88.10; σοφὸς ὁ πολλὰ εἰδὼς φυᾷ, μαθόντες δὲ λάβροι Pi. O. 2.86. 2. clever in practical matters, wise, prudent, ὁ χρήσιμʼ εἰδώς, οὐχ ὁ πόλλʼ εἰδώς, σ. A. Fr. 390; esp. statesmanlike, in which sense the seven Sages were so called, Dicaearch. ap.D.L. 1.40: hence, shrewd, worldly-wise, Thgn. 120, Pi. I. 2.12, Hdt. 3.85; σ. ἄνδρες εἰσὶ Θεσσαλοὶ Id. 7.130; σ. παλαιστὴς . . , ἀλλὰ χαἱ χαἱ σοφαὶ γνῶμαι . . ἐμποδίζονται S. Ph. 431, cf. 440, Aj. 1374; πολλὰ σ. A. Ag. 1295; ἃ δεῖ σ. E. Ba. 655 sq.; τῶν λεγομένων πονηρῶν μέν, σοφῶν δέ Pl. R. 519a: also σοφαὶ πραπίδες Pi. O. 11(10).10; φύσις Ar. V. 1282: even of animals, X. Cyn. 3.7 (Comp.), 6.13 (Sup.); σ. πειθώ Pi. P. 9.39 codd. (σοφοῖς Bgk.); εὐβουλία A. Pr. 1038: τὸ σ. my little trick, Pl. R. 502d; your clever notion, Id. Euthd. 293d; τἀπʼ ἐμοῦ σοφά, δάκρυα my tears, all the resources that I have, E. IA 1214; εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω τάδε better than all craft, S. Ph. 1246; σοφόν [ἐστι] c. inf., E. Hec. 228. b. more generally, learned, wise, τὸ μὲν σ. [αὐτὸν] καλεῖν ἔμοιγε μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ πρέπειν Pl. Phdr. 278d, cf. 279c, Prt. 329e, Ap. 21a (Comp.), 22c (Sup.); opp. ἀμαθής, ib.25d (Comp.); of sophists, ib.20a, Prt. 309d, X. Mem. 2.1.21, etc.; universally and ideally wise, ὁ σ., τουτέστιν ὁ τὴν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐπιστήμην ἔχων Chrysipp.Stoic. 2.42, cf. 3.167, al.: later σοφώτατος as a title, esp. of lawyers or professors, PIand. 16.4 (v/vi A.D.), POxy. 126.6 (vi A.D.). 3. subtle, ingenious, opp. ἀμαθής (1445) and σαφής, Ar. Ra. 1434 (Adv.); σοφόν τοι τὸ σαφές, οὐ τὸ μὴ σαφές E. Or. 397; τὸ σοφὸν οὐ σοφία wisdom overmuch is no wisdom, Id. Ba. 395 (lyr.); τί οὖν ἦν τοῦτο; οὐδὲν ποικίλον οὐδὲ σοφόν nothing curious or recondite, D. 9.37.—For the senses of σ., v. Arist. EN 1141a10.—mostly abs., but c. acc. rei, E. Ba. 655, Pl. Phlb. 17c, etc.; also ἐν οἰωνοῖς, κιθάρᾳ, E. IT 662, 1238 (lyr.); εἴς τι Id. Fr. 162 (Sup.); περί τι or τινος, Pl. Smp. 203a, Ap. 19c: rarely c. gen., σοφὸς κακῶν A. Supp. 453: also c. inf., πῶς δῆτʼ ἔγωγʼ ἂν . . Διὸς γενοίμην εὖ φρονεῖν σοφώτερος; S. Fr. 524.7. II. of things, cleverly devised, wise, νόμος Hdt. 1.196 (Sup.); νοήματα, ἔπεα, Pi. O. 7.72 (Sup.), P. 4.138, etc.; γνῶμαι S. Aj. 1091; νοῦς Id. El. 1016; πάντα προσφέρων σοφά all wise sayings, Id. Fr. 763, cf. Ph. 1245; χρόνου τε διατριβὰς σοφωτάτας ἐφηῦρε Id. Fr. 479; σοφώτερʼ ἢ κατʼ ἄνδρα συμβαλεῖν ἔπη E. Med. 675; σ. φυγή Id. Supp. 151; οὐδὲν σοφὸν εἶναι shows no great wisdom, Arist. EN 1137a10. III. Adv. σοφῶς cleverly, wisely, etc., first (?) in S.(?)Fr. 1122; then in E. Alc. 699, Ba. 1271 codd., Heracl. 558, Ar. Ra. 1434, etc.: Comp. -ώτερον E. Hec. 1007: Sup. -ώτατα Id. Hel. 1528, Ar. Nu. 522:—σοφῶς, as an exclamation of applause, Plu. 2.45f, Mart. 3.46.8, etc. (Not in Ep., exc. in Margites l.c. and as ancient v.l. (Eust. 1023.14) in Il. 23.712; but v. σοφία, σοφίζομαι.)
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