Stephanus letter

English

Etymology

Stephanus (the surname of the writer of a famous early translation (in 1578) of the dialogues of the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato) + letter

Noun

Stephanus letter (plural Stephanus letters)

1. (Stephanus pagination) A standard reference letter (either a, b, c, d, or e) for a one-fifth–equal-part subdivision of a given section (denoted by the preceding Stephanus number) of a given Platonic dialogue.
   • 1974: Plato [aut.] and Desmond Lee [tr.], The Republic, Translator’s Introduction, page 56 (2^nd ed. (revised); Penguin Classics; →ISBN

     The Republic is traditionally divided into ten books. But this division, as has often been pointed out, was dictated rather by the technicalities of book-production in the ancient world, the amount that would go on to a papyrus roll, than by the sequence of the argument. The division into parts and sections in this translation attempts to represent the structure of the argument more nearly. The traditional division into books and the Stephanus numbers and letters (see p. 5) are given in the margin for purpose of reference.