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The corpus record

σοφός

sophos

clever, skillful, able, shrewd, wise

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Where it lives

Densest 12 of 142 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. σοφός · sophos — Beekes

σοφός [adj.] ‘clever, skillful, able, shrewd, wise’ (Hes. Fr. 193). *COMP As a first member e.g. in Σοφο-κλῆς; very often as a second member, e.g. φιλό-σοφος ‘friend of a σοφόν, who loves τὸ σοφόν, τὴν σοφίαν, eager for knowledge, friend of the sciences, philosopher’ (Heracleit., Att.) with φιλοσοφ-ία [f.] ‘(scientific) study, education, philosophy’ (Att.), -éw [v.] ‘to be eager for knowledge, study’ (IA); … — [Beekes, s.v. σοφός, p. 1424]

2. σοφός · sophos — Chantraine

σοφός : «qui sait, qui maîtrise un art ou une Lechnique », dit souvent de poètes et de musiciens, mais aussi de cavaliers, de marins, d'artistes et d'artisans, elc.; aussi «instruit, intelligent » ; sans s'appliquer à des personnes, dit d'une loi, d’une conduite, d’un comportement, etc. (Alem., Archil., Thgn., Æsch., Pi., ion.-att., etc.). Fréquent en composition au premier terme dans l'onomastique, p. ex., … — [Chantraine, s.v. σοφός, p. 1050]

3. σοφός · sophos — Frisk

σοφός “geschickt, kundig, klug, schlau, weise’ (seit Hes, Fr. 193). Als Vorderglied u.a. in Σοφο-κλῆς; sehr oft als Hinterglied, z. B. φιλό-σοφος ‘Freund des σοφόν, der τὸ σοφόν, τὴν σοφίαν liebt, wißbegierig, Freund der Wissenschaft, Philosoph’ (Herakleit., att.) mit φιλοσοφ-ία f. “(wissenschaftliches) Studium, Bildung, Philosophie’ (att.; zur Bed. Heyde Philosophia naturalis 7 [1961] 144ff.), -ἔω “wißbegierig … — [Frisk, s.v. σοφός, p. 1726]

4. σοφός · sophos — Frisk

σοφός. Zur Abhandlung von Gladigow (Hildesheim 1965) vgl. die kritischen Bemerkungen von Bollack REGr. 81 (1968) 550-554. oralpw. Zur reinen Tenuis in σπαίρω gegenüber der Aspirata in aind. sphurati Hiersche Ten. asp. 154f. ordAadpov soll in myk. ga-ra-io-ro vorliegen; weiteres bei Dreßler IF 74 (1969) 232. ordprov. Toch. A sparp, auch svarp, “Strick”, von Schindler Sprache 12 (1966) 69 mit σπάρτον, σπεῖρα … — [Frisk, s.v. σοφός, p. 2306]

5. σοφός · sophos — LSJ

skilled in any handicraft, art, clever

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, statesmanlike, shrewd, worldly-wise, trick, clever notion, all the resources that I have, than all craft

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.

b learned, wise, universally and ideally wise

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, wisdom overmuch, recondite

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

II cleverly devised, wise, wise sayings

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 cleverly, wisely

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. Aud. 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.)

In the wild

6 of 1,285 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. σοφός (scan pp. 1424-1425; entry #5693).
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. σοφός (scan pp. 1050-1051; entry #7477).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. σοφός (scan pp. 1726-1727; entry #5287).

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