platonic
/pləˈtɒnɪk/
adjective
Origin
Ancient Greek
Πλάτων — Plato (the philosopher)
Overview
Meaning Now
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of the Greek philosopher Plato or his philosophy.
- Of love or friendship: intimate and affectionate but not sexual.
Literal older meaning
pertaining to the philosophy or dialogues of Plato
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
Platonic
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term originates from the philosophical dialogues of Plato, specifically the 'Symposium', where the character Pausanias distinguishes between common, physical love and a higher, divine, or spiritual form of love. Renaissance writers, particularly in 17th-century England, revived this concept to describe a deep, non-sensual intellectual companionship.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek (4th century BCE)
Πλάτων (Plátōn)
“Proper name of the philosopher”
- Late Latin (15th century)
Platonicus
“Related to Plato”
Used by Renaissance humanists to refer to Platonic philosophy.
- English (1630s)
Platonic love
“Love transcending physical desire”
Coined to describe a spiritual love modeled after the descriptions in Plato's Symposium.
Connections
Word parts
Platon-
root
Plato
-ic
suffix
pertaining to
Related across languages
French
platonique
platonic
German
platonisch
platonic
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Related to platonic
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.