Cratylus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The name of a Greek philosopher who appears as a character in Plato's dialogue exploring whether names arise by convention or by natural correctness
2. A figure from ancient Greek thought, a interlocutor in a Platonic dialogue that debates whether words naturally fit the things they name
3. The title character of a Platonic dialogue, a follower of Heraclitus who argues over the natural correctness of language and naming

Etymology: Cratylus is best known as the man who was never allowed to finish an argument about names. In Plato's dialogue that bears his name, he and Hermogenes argue over whether words are right by nature or merely by convention, and Socrates is brought in to referee. Cratylus holds that each name fits its object by nature, so that a name reveals something true about the thing it labels. Socrates runs both positions through a series of etymological puns, many of them playful, and the dialogue ends without a clear verdict. Aristotle reports that Cratylus, a follower of Heraclitus, took the flux doctrine so far that he gave up speaking and merely moved his finger. The historical Cratylus is otherwise obscure, and his fame rests almost entirely on Plato's portrait. The name itself is a Greek personal name, "Kratylos," which is probably related to "kratos," meaning strength, though the exact derivation is uncertain.