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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.

Can one lone pre-Socratic in a canoe teach you everything you failed to learn about philosophy in college?

From Slate • Jun. 3, 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

Instead, our group caught the free shuttle back to the station, hopped aboard the 4:55 train and on the way home discussed everything from pre-Socratic philosophers to Google’s new Nexus One cellphone.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2010

And if Hegel says that “Morality,” strictly so called, began with Socrates, he does not thereby accuse the pre-Socratic Greeks of inhumanity.

From Hegel's Philosophy of Mind by Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

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