pre-Socratic

American

[pree-suh-krat-ik, -soh-] / ˌpri səˈkræt ɪk, -soʊ- /

adjective

of or relating to the philosophers or philosophical systems of the period before the Socratic period.

noun

any philosopher of this period.

Etymology

Origin of pre-Socratic

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The painting of the bald figure bears a citation of the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2021

His students seem to lack a moral vision from the day they get to campus, and besides, professors have been espousing moral relativism since the pre-Socratic age.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2015

Anaximander, as every map-lover surely knows, is the pre-Socratic philosopher who is thought by some scholars to have devised the first map of the world.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2013

Some trace the argument back to pre-Socratic philosophers.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2012

The first may be roughly described as pre-Socratic philosophy, though it does not include the Sophists who were both the contemporaries and the predecessors of Socrates.

From A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by Stace, W. T. (Walter Terence)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023