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Socratic

[suh-krat-ik, soh-]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to Socrates or his philosophy, followers, etc., or to the Socratic method.
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noun
  1. a follower of Socrates.
  2. any of the Greek philosophers influenced by Socrates.
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Origin of Socratic

1630–40; < Latin Sōcraticus < Greek Sōkratikós of, pertaining to Socrates; see -ic
Related formsSo·crat·i·cal·ly, adverban·ti-So·crat·ic, adjectivepost-So·crat·ic, adjectivepseu·do-So·crat·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for socratically

Historical Examples

  • He had a notion he said, that he could argue Socratically; and he was always trying to introduce metaphors into his conversation.

    Memoirs of Arthur Hamilton, B. A. Of Trinity College, Cambridge

    Arthur Christopher Benson

British Dictionary definitions for socratically

Socratic

adjective
  1. of or relating to Socrates, his methods, etc
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noun
  1. a person who follows the teachings of Socrates
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Derived FormsSocratically, adverbSocraticism, nounSocratist (ˈsɒkrətɪst), noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for socratically

Socratic

adj.

1630s (Socratical is from 1580s), "of or pertaining to Greek philosopher Socrates" (469-399 B.C.E.), especially in reference to his method of eliciting truth by question and answer, from Latin Socraticus, from Greek Sokratikos "pertaining to Socrates or his school." His name is Greek Sokrates, literally "having safe might."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper