σόφ-ισμα

σόφ-ισμα, ατος, τό,

A acquired skill, method, in medicine, Hp.Loc.Hom.41.

II clever device, ingenious contrivance, Pi.O.13.17 (pl.);

σ. μηχανᾶσθαι Hdt.3.85

; σ. καὶ μηχαναί ib. 152;

ἀριθμὸν ἔξοχον σοφισμάτων A.Pr. 459

; οὐκ ἔχω σ. ὅτῳ.. πημονῆς ἀπαλλαγῶ ib. 470; μὴ.. κἀκχέω τὸ πᾶν ς. S.Ph.14; τὸ Θεσσαλὸν ς. a trick in fighting, v. Θεσσαλός; πολλαῖσι μορφαῖς οἱ θεοὶ σοφισμάτων σφάλλουσιν ἡμᾶς E.Fr. 972; τέχναι.. καὶ ς. Ar.Pl. 160;

τὸ γὰρ σ. δημοτικόν Id.Nu. 205

;

πρὸς μὲν Σωκράτη.. τὸ σ. μοι οὐδέν Pl. Smp. 214a

;

τὸ σ. τὸ τοῦ δρεπάνου Id.La. 183d

.

2 in less good sense, sly trick, artifice,

δίκην δοῦναι σ. κακῶν E.Ba. 489

, cf. Hec. 258; ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ταὐτὰ παρόντα ς. Th.6.77, cf. D.35.2; stage-trick, claptrap, Ar.Ra.17, 872, 1104; of tricks in government, Arist.Pol. 1297a35, 1308a2; in cookery, X.Hier.1.23 (pl.).

3 captious argument, quibble, sophism, Pl.R. 496a, D.25.18, Epicur.Nat.28.9, etc.; περὶ σοφισμάτων, title of work by Chrysippus;

σ. τῆς ῥητορικῆς Longin.17.2

; opp. a true logical argument ([etym.] φιλοσόφημα, ἐπιχείρημα), Arist.Top. 162a16:— Ar. calls a person σόφισμ' ὅλον, Av. 431, cf.Ath.1.11b.

Grammatical information: adj.

Meaning: `clever, skillful, able, shrewd, wise' (Hes. Fr. 193).

Compounds: As 1st member a. o. in Σοφο-κλῆς; very often as 2nd member, e. g. φιλό-σοφος `friend of a σοφόν, who loves τὸ σοφόν, την σοφίαν, eager for knowledge, friend of the sciences, philosopher' (Heracleit., Att.) with φιλοσοφ-ία f. `(scientific) study, education, philosophy' (Att.; on the meaning Heyde Philosophia naturalis 7 [1961] 144 ff.), - έω `to be eager for knowledge, to study' (IA.); on ἐπί-σσοφος n. of a yearly changing official (Thera) s. ψέφει.

Derivatives: σοφ-ία, Ion. - ίη f. `skilfulness, virtuosity, knowledge, cleverness, shrewdness, wisdom' (since O 412). Denom. verbs. 1. σοφίζομαι, also w. prefix, esp. κατα- `to practice a form of art, to think up, to concoct' (since Hes. Op. 649), - ίζω `to make smart, to instruct' (LXX, christ. lit.); from it σόφ-ισμα n. `(clever, cunning) concoction' (Pi., IA.), with - ισμάτιον, - ισματώδης, - ισματικός; - ισις f. (sch.); - ιστής m. "concoctor", `artist, learned man, teacher, sophist' (Pi., IA.) with - ίστρια, - ιστικός, - ιστήριον, - ιστεύω, - ιστεία. 2. σοφόω = σοφίζω (LXX). -- On σοφός and σοφία s. Snell Ausdrücke 1ff, B. Gladigow Sophia und Kosmos. Unters. zur Frühgesch. von σοφός und σοφίη (Spudasmata 1).

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: Unexplained. Unsuccesful attempts at interpretation from IE Bq (a. o. Brugmann IF 16, 499 ff. w. lit.). Cf. Σίσυφος, also σάφα and ψέφει. - A word with this meaning is often substratum loan.

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