σοφιστής

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From σοφίζω (sophízō, “to become wise”) +‎ -ιστής (-istḗs), from σοφός (sophós, “wise”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /so.pʰis.tɛ̌ːs/ → /so.ɸisˈtis/ → /so.fisˈtis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /so.pʰis.tɛ̌ːs/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /so.pʰisˈte̝s/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /so.ɸisˈtis/
• (10^th CE Medieval) IPA^(key): /so.fisˈtis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /so.fisˈtis/

Noun

σοφῐστής • (sophĭstḗs) m (genitive σοφῐστοῦ, feminine σοφῐ́στρῐᾰ); first declension (Attic, Ionic, Koine)

1. a master of one's craft
2. philosopher (one who is wise and prudent)
3. teacher; tutor
4. (slang, derogatory) cheat, swindler (one who makes a profit from false wisdom)

Declension

First declension of ὁ σοφῐστής; τοῦ σοφῐστοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σοφῐστής ho sophĭstḗs	τὼ σοφῐστᾱ́ tṑ sophĭstā́	οἱ σοφῐσταί hoi sophĭstaí
Genitive	τοῦ σοφῐστοῦ toû sophĭstoû	τοῖν σοφῐσταῖν toîn sophĭstaîn	τῶν σοφῐστῶν tôn sophĭstôn
Dative	τῷ σοφῐστῇ tōî sophĭstēî	τοῖν σοφῐσταῖν toîn sophĭstaîn	τοῖς σοφῐσταῖς toîs sophĭstaîs
Accusative	τὸν σοφῐστήν tòn sophĭstḗn	τὼ σοφῐστᾱ́ tṑ sophĭstā́	τοὺς σοφῐστᾱ́ς toùs sophĭstā́s
Vocative	σοφῐστᾰ́ sophĭstắ	σοφῐστᾱ́ sophĭstā́	σοφῐσταί sophĭstaí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First declension of ὁ σοφῐστής; τοῦ σοφῐστέω / σοφῐστῶ (Ionic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ σοφῐστής ho sophĭstḗs	τὼ σοφῐστᾱ́ tṑ sophĭstā́	οἱ σοφῐσταί hoi sophĭstaí
Genitive	τοῦ σοφῐστέω / σοφῐστῶ toû sophĭstéō / sophĭstô	τοῖν σοφῐσταῖν toîn sophĭstaîn	τῶν σοφῐστέων / σοφῐστῶν tôn sophĭstéōn / sophĭstôn
Dative	τῷ σοφῐστῇ tōî sophĭstēî	τοῖν σοφῐσταῖν toîn sophĭstaîn	τοῖσῐ / τοῖσῐν σοφῐστῇσῐ / σοφῐστῇσῐν toîsĭ(n) sophĭstēîsĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν σοφῐστήν tòn sophĭstḗn	τὼ σοφῐστᾱ́ tṑ sophĭstā́	τοὺς σοφῐστᾱ́ς toùs sophĭstā́s
Vocative	σοφῐστᾰ́ sophĭstắ	σοφῐστᾱ́ sophĭstā́	σοφῐσταί sophĭstaí
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

• ἀκᾰτᾰσόφῐστος (akătăsóphĭstos, “not to be put down by fallacies”)
• ἀντισοφῐστής m (antisophĭstḗs, “who seeks to refute”)
• ἀσόφῐστος (asóphĭstos, “not deluded by fallacies”)
• γυμνοσοφῐσταί m pl (gumnosophĭstaí, “naked philosophers, gymnosophists”)
• γυμνοσοφῐστῐ́ᾱ f (gumnosophĭstĭ́ā, “wisdom of gymnosophists”)
• Δειπνοσοφισταί m pl (Deipnosophistaí, “title of work by Athenaeus”)
• δειπνοσοφῐστής m (deipnosophĭstḗs, “learned in the mysteries of the kitchen”)
• ἰᾱτροσοφῐστής m (iātrosophĭstḗs, “professor of medicine”)
• ἰᾱτροφῐλόσοφος m (iātrophĭlósophos, “scientific doctor”)
• μεγᾰλοσοφῐστής m (megălosophĭstḗs, “great sophist”)
• μετεωροσοφῐστής m (meteōrosophĭstḗs, “astronomical sophist”)
• σοφῐστορήτωρ m (sophĭstorḗtōr, “sophist-orator”)
• ῠ̔περσοφῐστής m (hŭpersophĭstḗs, “arch-sophist”)
• ψευδοσοφῐστής m (pseudosophĭstḗs, “sham-sophist”)

Related terms

• ἀκᾰτᾰσόφῐστος (akătăsóphĭstos, “not to be put down by fallacies”)
• ἀσόφῐστος (asóphĭstos, “not deluded by fallacies”)
• σοφῐστείᾱ f (sophĭsteíā, “sophistry”)
• σοφῐστέον (sophĭstéon, “one must contrive”)
• σοφῐστέος (sophĭstéos, “one must contrive”)
• σοφῐ́στευμᾰ n (sophĭ́steumă, “skill, method”)
• σοφῐστεύω (sophĭsteúō, “play the sophist; teach, give lectures”)
• σοφῐστήρῐον n (sophĭstḗrĭon, “school of sophistry”)
• σοφῐστῐάω (sophĭstĭáō, “play the sophist”)
• σοφῐστῐκός (sophĭstĭkós, “of a sophist”)

Descendants

• Greek: σοφιστής (sofistís)
• → Aramaic:

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: סוֹפִיסְטָה (sōp̄isṭā), סוֹפִיסְטָא (sōp̄isṭā), סוֹפִיסְטֵיס (sōp̄isṭēs)

  Classical Syriac: ܣܘܿܦܝܺܣܛܳܐ (sōp̄isṭā), ܣܦܣܛܐ (sop̄isṭā), ܣܘܦܣܛܐ (sōp̄isṭā), ܣܦܝܣܛܘܣ (sop̄isṭōs)

  • → Arabic: سَفْسَطَائِيّ (safsaṭāʔiyy)
  • → Persian: سوفسطایی (sufestâyi)
• → Latin: sophistēs, sophista (all periods), sofista (Medieval Latin)
  • → English: sophist
  • → French: sophiste

Further reading

• “σοφιστής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “σοφιστής” in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • casuist idem, page 117.
  • cheat idem, page 127.
  • deceiver idem, page 200.
  • doctor idem, page 245.
  • genius idem, page 357.
  • learned idem, page 483.
  • sage idem, page 731.
  • savant idem, page 735.
  • scholar idem, page 739.
  • sophist idem, page 794.
  • thinker idem, page 867.
  • trickster idem, page 894.
  • wiseacre idem, page 982.