philosopher
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English philosophre, from Anglo-Norman or Middle French philosophe, from Latin philosophus, from Ancient Greek φιλόσοφος (philósophos, literally “lover of wisdom”) + -er.
Credited as having been coined by Pythagoras to describe himself.[1][2]
Displaced native Old English ūþwita.
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) IPA(key): /fɪˈlɒs.ə.fə(ɹ)/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /fəˈlɑsəfəɹ/
Audio (Mid-Atlantic) (file)
Noun edit
philosopher (plural philosophers)
- (originally) A lover of wisdom.
- A student of philosophy.
- A scholar or expert engaged in or contributing to philosophical inquiry.
- Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:philosopher
- 2007, Harold Bloom, Bloom's Modern Critical Views: Stephen King:
- Their playwrights knew better. Scandal, murder, hair-rending and railing against the gods sold tickets. King is not a philosopher. He knows how to sell tickets.
- (archaic) A person who applies the principles of philosophy to the conduct of their life, as by acting calmly and rationally in the face of inevitable change.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 17:18:
- Then certaine Philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoikes, encountred him
- 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
- This is not the sort of happiness which a man would in general wish to owe to his wife; but where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given.
- (archaic) A student, scholar, or expert in any branch of knowledge, especially those branches studied prior to being considered part of pure science.
- (obsolete) An alchemist.
- 1813, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Canon's Yeoman's Tale:
- Then thus conclude I, since that God of heaven
Will not that these philosophers neven
How that a man shall come unto this stone,
I rede as for the best to let it gon.
- 1945, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy:
- No further progress was made in this science until the Mohammedan alchemists embarked upon their search for the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, and a method of transmuting base metals into gold.
Derived terms edit
- analytic philosopher
- antiphilosopher
- biophilosopher
- ecophilosopher
- ethnophilosopher
- fire philosopher
- foolosopher
- geophilosopher
- metaphilosopher
- natural philosopher
- neurophilosopher
- nonphilosopher
- philosopher by fire
- philosopheress
- philosopher king
- philosopher of fire
- philosopher's game
- philosophership
- philosopher's lamp
- philosopher's stone
- philosophers' stone
- philosopher's wool
- philosophess
- philosophress
- pseudophilosopher
Related terms edit
- misosopher
- philosophaster
- philosophe
- philosophical
- philosophical method
- philosophicide
- philosophizer
- philosophy
Translations edit
person devoted to studying philosophy
|
References edit
- ^ Attributed dates to Roman antiquity: Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, 5.3.8-9 = Heraclides Ponticus fr. 88 Wehrli, Diogenes Laertius 1.12, 8.8, Iamblichus VP 58.
- ^ This view has been challenged by Walter Burkert, but it has been defended by C.J. De Vogel, Pythagoras and Early Pythagoreanism (1966), pp. 97–102, and C. Riedweg, Pythagoras: His Life, Teaching, And Influence (2005), p. 92.
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
philosopher
- to philosophize
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of philosopher (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | philosopher | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | philosophant /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | philosophé /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fe/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | philosophe /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophes /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophe /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophons /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɔ̃/ |
philosophez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fe/ |
philosophent /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
| imperfect | philosophais /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɛ/ |
philosophais /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɛ/ |
philosophait /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɛ/ |
philosophions /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fjɔ̃/ |
philosophiez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fje/ |
philosophaient /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | philosophai /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fe/ |
philosophas /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fa/ |
philosopha /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fa/ |
philosophâmes /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fam/ |
philosophâtes /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fat/ |
philosophèrent /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɛʁ/ | |
| future | philosopherai /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁe/ |
philosopheras /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁa/ |
philosophera /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁa/ |
philosopherons /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɔ̃/ |
philosopherez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁe/ |
philosopheront /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | philosopherais /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɛ/ |
philosopherais /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɛ/ |
philosopherait /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɛ/ |
philosopherions /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
philosopheriez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fə.ʁje/ |
philosopheraient /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | philosophe /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophes /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophe /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
philosophions /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fjɔ̃/ |
philosophiez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fje/ |
philosophent /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
| imperfect2 | philosophasse /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fas/ |
philosophasses /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fas/ |
philosophât /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fa/ |
philosophassions /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fa.sjɔ̃/ |
philosophassiez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fa.sje/ |
philosophassent /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fas/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | philosophe /fi.lɔ.zɔf/ |
— | philosophons /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fɔ̃/ |
philosophez /fi.lɔ.zɔ.fe/ |
— | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Further reading edit
- “philosopher”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin edit
Verb edit
philosopher