Theophrastus

American  

[thee-uh-fras-tuhs] / ˌθi əˈfræs təs /

noun

1. 372?–287 b.c., Greek philosopher.

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Theophrastus British  

/ ˌθɪəˈfræstəs /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• Theophrastian
  adjective

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Theophrastus

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.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2020

“The Unscrupulous Man,” Theophrastus laments, “will go and borrow more money from a creditor he has never paid …” as if we haven’t heard that one before, Bernie Madoff.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2012

In 1927, he started calling himself “Dr. Theophrastus Seuss” as a joke, and then, the next year, made it simply, Dr. Seuss.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2012

It was in this building that Theophrastus von Hohenheim -- a Renaissance alchemist, astrologer and physician more commonly known as Paracelsus -- pioneered the use of chemicals in medicine.

From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2011

Theophrastus is, we believe, the first to describe the touchstone, although it was generally known to the Greeks, as is evidenced by the metaphors of many of the poets,—Pindar, Theognis, Euripides, etc.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola

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