Word
abderite
Phoneticsab·derite
Definitions
01resident of Abdera
n. someone who lived in the ancient city of Abdera in Greece.
n. a native or inhabitant of the ancient Greek city of Abdera in Thrace.
“The historian described how an Abderite might have viewed the war.”
“Archaeological evidence suggests that the average Abderite enjoyed a standard of living comparable to those in more prominent Greek city-states.”
Formal · Literary
Usage
Capitalized as a proper noun referring to a specific historical group.
02Democritus
n. a name for the ancient philosopher Democritus, known for laughing at human foolishness.
n. a specific reference to the philosopher Democritus, often called the Laughing Philosopher.
“The professor referred to Democritus simply as the Abderite.”
“In Renaissance literature, the Abderite is frequently contrasted with Heraclitus to represent the opposing philosophical responses of laughter and tears to human folly.”
Formal · Literary
Usage
Usually appears with the definite article 'the' when referring to the philosopher.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin Abderita, Abderites, from Ancient Greek Ἀβδηρίτης (Abdērítēs).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.