Plutarch

English

Etymology

Via Latin Plūtarchus from Ancient Greek Πλούτᾰρχος (Ploútarkhos).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpluː.tɑːk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈplu.tɑɹk/
• Hyphenation: Plu‧tarch

Proper noun

Plutarch

1. The classical historian and essayist Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (46-120 C.E.). Often used as a byword for a biographer, to suggest that the writer is especially skilled or has other attributes associated with Plutarch.
   • 1878, John G. Morris, Fifty Years in the Lutheran Ministry‎^[1], →OL, page 11:

     I am indebted to […] those masterly pen and ink portraits of many of our deceased ministers drawn by the lamented Professor Stoever, in the Evangelical Review, whom I designated some years ago as the Plutarch of the Lutheran Church of America.

   • 1895, Elbert Hubbard, Gladstone‎^[2], →OL, page 100:

     Some day a Plutarch, without a Plutarch's prejudice will arise, and with malice toward none but charity for all, he will write the life of the statesman, Gladstone.

   • 1903, Samuel McChord Crothers, The Gentle Reader‎^[3], →LCCN, →OL, page 132:

     I must in candor admit that the Plutarch of piracy is sometimes more edifying than entertaining.

Derived terms

• Plutarchian

Translations

Greek historian

• Armenian: Պլուտարքոս (Plutarkʻos)
• Bulgarian: Плутарх m (Plutarh)
• Catalan: Plutarc m
• Czech: Plútarchos m
• Dutch: Plutarchus
• Esperanto: Plutarko
• Estonian: Plutarchos
• Finnish: Plutarkhos
• French: Plutarque (fr)
• Georgian: პლუტარქე (ṗluṭarke), პლუტარქუსი (ṗluṭarkusi)
• German: Plutarch
• Greek: Πλούταρχος (el) m (Ploútarchos)
• Hebrew: פלוטארכוס (Plutarkhus)
• Hungarian: Plutarkhosz (hu)
• Icelandic: Plútarkos m
• Italian: Plutarco (it)
• Japanese: プルタルコス (Purutarukusu)
• Korean: 플루타르크 (peullutareukeu)
• Latin: Plutarchus
• Occitan: Plutarc m
• Persian: پلوتارک (fa) (plutârk), افلوطرخس (eflutarxos)
• Polish: Plutarch (pl)
• Portuguese: Plutarco
• Romanian: Plutarh m
• Russian: Плута́рх (ru) m (Plutárx)
• Spanish: Plutarco (es)
• Swedish: Plutarchos
• Ukrainian: Плутарх (Plutarx)

Noun

Plutarch (plural Plutarchs)

1. Any specific edition of a work by Plutarch, often specifically Plutarch's Lives
   • 1895, O.A. Bierstadt, The Library of Robert Hoe‎^[4], page 164:

     Both these English Plutarchs are here, two folios printed at London in 1657, and they once belonged to William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, and have his book-plates.

Further reading

• “Plutarch”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.