Philosophy & ThoughtGreek → English
Sophist
/ˈsɒfɪst/noun
A person who argues cleverly but dishonestly; in the ancient world, a paid teacher of rhetoric.
The Greek roots
σοφιστής
sophistḗs
expert, teacher of wisdom
Literally: “one who practises wisdom”
Follow a root:σοφιστής3 words
The story of the word
In the fifth century BC a σοφιστής was simply an expert, someone who knew how to do a thing well, and the travelling teachers who charged fees for rhetoric wore the label without embarrassment. Plato spent several dialogues attacking them, and his hostility is why the word now means a cheat with an argument. Sophomore is often explained as σοφός plus μωρός, wise fool, though that derivation is contested.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 16th century
Same family
sophistryphilosophysophisticatedsophomore
In a sentence
Call him a sophist and you are saying the argument works and still proves nothing.