Theophrastus

[thee-uh-fras-tuhs]

noun

1. 372?–287 b.c., Greek philosopher.

Theophrastus

/ ˌθɪəˈfræstəs /

noun

1. ?372–?287 _bc , Greek Peripatetic philosopher, noted esp for his Characters, a collection of sketches of moral types

Other Word Forms

• Theophrastian adjective

Example Sentences

There goes the ancient philosopher Theophrastus with his taxonomy of social types; there goes the caricaturist William Hogarth, who believed the face to be “the index of the mind.”

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And the works of Theophrastus, the father of botany, were studied closely for techniques of aromatic oil production.

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The ancient philosophers Plutarch and Theophrastus considered kneeling to be an expression of superstition, while Aristotle viewed it as a barbaric behavior.

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His childhood stuffed dog named Theophrastus rests on the couch.

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Three hundred years later, Theophrastus followed up on Thales’ experiments by rubbing various kinds of stone and also observed the “power of attraction.”

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