Aristotle

American  

[ar-uh-stot-l] / ˈær əˌstɒt l /

noun

1. 384–322 b.c., Greek philosopher: pupil of Plato; tutor of Alexander the Great.

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Aristotle ¹ British  

/ ˈærɪˌstɒtəl /

noun

1. 384–322 _bc , Greek philosopher; pupil of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great, and founder of the Peripatetic school at Athens; author of works on logic, ethics, politics, poetics, rhetoric, biology, zoology, and metaphysics. His works influenced Muslim philosophy and science and medieval scholastic philosophy

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aristotle ² British  

/ ˈærɪˌstɒtəl /

noun

1. a bottle

2. old-fashioned the buttocks or anus

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Aristotle ³ British  

/ ˈærɪˌstɒtəl /

noun

1. a prominent crater in the NW quadrant of the moon about 83 kilometres in diameter

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Aristotle Scientific  

/ ăr′ĭ-stŏt′l /

1. Greek philosopher and scientist who wrote about virtually every area of knowledge, including most of the sciences. Throughout his life he made careful observations, collected specimens, and summarized all the existing knowledge of the natural world. He pioneered the study of zoology, developing a classification system for all animals and making extensive taxonomic studies. His systematic approach later evolved into the basic scientific method in the Western world.

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Aristotle Cultural  

1. One of the greatest ancient Greek philosophers, with a large influence on subsequent Western thought. Aristotle was a student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great. He disagreed with Plato over the existence of ideal Forms and believed that form and matter are always joined. Aristotle's many books include Rhetoric, the Poetics, the Metaphysics, and the Politics.

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Etymology

Origin of aristotle

rhyming slang; in sense 2, shortened from bottle and glass arse

Example Sentences

It’s a “quest for a mathematical theory of the mind,” as the subtitle puts it—opening with Aristotle and ending with artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

In the 20th century, legendary shipping rivals Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos cashed in when the Suez crisis sent tanker rates soaring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Aristotle famously described five senses, but he also believed the universe was made of five elements, an idea modern science has long rejected.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

“We will all bow out someday but hopefully not anytime soon,” added Art, a friend since junior high who’s the Mexiclan’s resident Aristotle.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

For further discussion of Aristotle, see below, pp. 68-74.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton