Lexic.us

Definition of Theophrastus

1. Noun. Greek philosopher who was a student of Aristotle and who succeeded Aristotle as the leader of the Peripatetics (371-287 BC).

Medical Definition of Theophrastus

1. Theophrastus was born in Lesbos (island of lesbians) and is often called the Father of Botany. He was born Tiranos, but Aristotle renamed him Theophrastus (the divine orator). He was the leading botanist of ancient times and remained unsurpassed until the Renaissance. He created a monumental canon (500 plant varieties) of medical botany, Inquiry Into Plants. In this text, he noted that dittany (a mint flavoured plant) from the bitter bark of the devil (dita) tree, is a plant which makes labour in pregnancy easy and may stop pain altogether. From this we realize that he had some idea of anesthaesia. Theophrastus wrote fluently including texts of physics, zoology, psychology, botany, art, music, ethics, politics and logic. Lived: 370-286 B.C. (15 Nov 1997)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Theophrastus

Literary usage of Theophrastus

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club by Torrey Botanical Club (1902)
"theophrastus theophrastus,* the "father of botany," who succeeded Aristotle as President of ... theophrastus begins by distinguishing three kinds of rush or ..."

2. Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge by Charles Knight (1842)
"Andronicus of Rhodes, a Peripatetic philosopher of the time of Lucullus, made a list of all the works of theophrastus, and arranged them in systematic order ..."

3. Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge by Charles Knight (1842)
"When Aristotle himself withdrew, theophrastus became his successor in the Lyceum, ... theophrastus pleaded his own cause before the Areopagus with his usual ..."

4. Crowned Masterpieces of Literature that Have Advanced Civilization: As by Edward Archibald Allen, William Schuyler (1908)
"The authorities are not agreed on the date of the birth of theophrastus, ... Besides his "Characters,* theophrastus wrote extensively on science and ..."

5. A History of Philosophy: From Thales to the Present Time by Friedrich Ueberweg, Noah Porter, Vincenzo Botta (1872)
"During thirty-five years after the death of Aristotle, theophrastus was the leader of the Peripatetic School, and as ho died while retaining that office, ..."

6. A History of Science by Henry Smith Williams, Edward Huntington Williams (1904)
"What Aristotle did for the animal kingdom his pupil, theophrastus, ... theophrastus, however, was much less a classifier than his master, and his work on ..."

7. The Journal of Philology by William George Clark, William Aldis Wright, Ingram Bywater, John Eyton Bickersteth Mayor, Henry Jackson (1876)
"Cic. de fin. bon. et mal. v.; see iv. 5, et de leg. m... JURA constituí oportet, ut dixit theophrastus, in his q\iae eVl TÒ ..."

8. The Monthly Review by Ralph Griffiths (1826)
"The Characters of theophrastus;. translated from the Greek, and illustrated by Physiognomical Sketches. To which arc subjoined the Greek Text, ..."

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