Definitions for Xenophon
ˈzɛn ə fən, -ˌfɒnxenophon

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Xenophonnoun

   Greek general and historian; student of Socrates (430-355 BC)

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Xenophonnoun

   Athenian historian and philosopher born 427 and author of the Anabasis and Memorabilia. He was a pupil of Socrates and became a general during the Persian wars.

2. Etymology: From Ξενοφῶν.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Xenophon

   Xenophon of Athens (; Ancient Greek: Ξενοφῶν [ksenopʰɔ̂ːn]; c. 430 – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies of the Achaemenid Empire, the Ten Thousand, that marched on and came close to capturing Babylon in 401 BC. As the military historian Theodore Ayrault Dodge wrote, "the centuries since have devised nothing to surpass the genius of this warrior". Xenophon established precedents for many logistical operations, and was among the first to describe strategic flanking maneuvers and feints in combat. Xenophon's Anabasis recounts his adventures with the Ten Thousand while in the service of Cyrus the Younger, Cyrus's failed campaign to claim the Persian throne from Artaxerxes II of Persia, and the return of Greek mercenaries after Cyrus's death in the Battle of Cunaxa. Anabasis is a unique first-hand, humble, and self-reflective account of a military leader's experience in antiquity. On the topic of campaigns in Asia Minor and in Babylon, Xenophon wrote Cyropaedia outlining both military and political methods used by Cyrus the Great to conquer the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 BC. Anabasis and Cyropaedia inspired Alexander the Great and other Greeks to conquer Babylon and the Achaemenid Empire in 331 BC.A student and a friend of Socrates, Xenophon recounted several Socratic dialogues – Symposium, Oeconomicus, Hiero, a tribute to Socrates – Memorabilia, and a chronicle of the philosopher's trial in 399 BC – Apology of Socrates to the Jury. Reading Xenophon's Memorabilia inspired Zeno of Citium to change his life and start the Stoic school of philosophy. For at least two millennia, Xenophon's many talents fueled the debate of whether to place Xenophon with generals, historians or philosophers. For the majority of time in the past two millennia, Xenophon was recognized as a philosopher. Quintilian in The Orator's Education discusses the most prominent historians, orators and philosophers as examples of eloquence and recognizes Xenophon's historical work, but ultimately places Xenophon next to Plato as a philosopher. Today, Xenophon is best known for his historical works. The Hellenica continues directly from the final sentence of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War covering the last seven years of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) and the subsequent forty-two years (404 BC–362 BC) ending with the Second Battle of Mantinea. Despite being born an Athenian citizen, Xenophon came to be associated with Sparta, the traditional opponent of Athens. Experience as a mercenary and a military leader, service under Spartan commanders in Ionia, Asia Minor, Persia and elsewhere, exile from Athens, and friendship with King Agesilaus II endeared Xenophon to the Spartans. Much of what is known today about the Spartan society comes from Xenophon's works – the royal biography of the Spartan king Agesilaus and the Constitution of the Lacedaemonians. Xenophon is recognized as one of the greatest writers of antiquity. Xenophon's works span multiple genres and are written in plain Attic Greek, which is why they have often been used in translation exercises for contemporary students of the Ancient Greek language. In the Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laërtius observed that Xenophon was known as the "Attic Muse" because of the sweetness of his diction. Several centuries later, Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero described Xenophon's mastery of Greek composition in Orator with the following words: "the muses were said to speak with the voice of Xenophon". Roman orator, attorney and teacher of rhetoric Quintilian echoes Cicero in The Orator's Education saying "the Graces themselves seem to have molded his style and the goddess of persuasion sat upon his lips".

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. xenophon

   Xenophon was an ancient Greek philosopher, historian, soldier and student of Socrates. He is known for his writings on the history of his own times, the 4th century BC, and the age of Greece. These works cover many aspects such as the Persian expedition against Greece and the politics and society of Athens, making him a significant figure in the historical and philosophical literature of ancient Greece.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Xenophon

   Xenophon, son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates. He is known for his writings on the history of his own times, the 4th century BC, preserving the sayings of Socrates, and descriptions of life in ancient Greece and the Persian Empire.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Xenophon

   historian, philosopher, and military commander, born at Athens, son of an Athenian of good position; was a pupil and friend of Socrates; joined the expedition of Cyrus against his brother Artaxerxes, and on the failure of it conducted the ten thousand Greeks—"the Retreat of the Ten Thousand"—who went up with him back to the Bosphorus, served afterwards in several military adventures, brought himself under the ban of his fellow-citizens in Athens, and retired to Elis, where he spent 20 years of his life in the pursuits of country life and in the prosecution of literature; the principal of his literary works, which it appears have all come down to us, are the "Anabasis," being an account in seven books of the expedition of Cyrus and his own conduct of the retreat; the "Memorabilia," in four books, being an account of the life and teaching and in defence of his master Socrates; the "Helenica," in seven books, being an account of 49 years of Grecian history in continuation of Thucydides to the battle of Mantinea; and "Cyropædeia," in eight books, being an ideal account of the education of Cyrus the Elder. Xenophon wrote pure Greek in a plain, perspicuous, and unaffected style, had an eye to the practical in his estimate of things, and professed a sincere belief in a divine government of the world (435-354 B.C.).

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1. xenophon

   Quotes by xenophon -- Explore a large variety of famous quotes made by xenophon on the Quotes.net website.

Who Was Who?Rate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Xenophon

   A Greek who endeavored to introduce morals into his country. He died young.

Matched Categories

1. • General
   • Historian

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce Xenophon?

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How to say Xenophon in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Xenophon in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Xenophon in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of Xenophon in a Sentence

1. South Australians:

   They know the submarines aren't the silver bullet to the jobs crisis, they want to see the positive vision being displayed by the other players, the Greens and Nick Xenophon, rather than reverting back to the devil they know.

2. South Australia:

   We're a known quantity, these personality-based political parties, like the Xenophon one, you don't know what you're getting. A political party based around a personality is not going to be particularly stable.

3. Horace Walpole:

   The next Augustan age will dawn on the other side of the Atlantic. There will, perhaps, be a Thucydides at Boston, a Xenophon at New York, and, in time, a Virgil at Mexico, and a Newton at Peru. At last, some curious traveler from Lima will visit England and give a description of the ruins of St Paul s, like the editions of Balbec and Palmyra.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Xenophon
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Xenophon
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophon
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Xenophon
6. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Xenophon
7. ^ Who Was Who?
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/984/pg984-images.html#:~:text=Xenophon
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Xenophon