Stephanus number

noun

A standard reference number for a section of a given Platonic dialogue, referring to a page in the 1578 translation of Plato’s dialogues by Henricus Stephanus.

Meanings

nounStephanus number (plural Stephanus numbers)

plural Stephanus numbers

  1. A standard reference number for a section of a given Platonic dialogue, referring to a page in the 1578 translation of Plato’s dialogues by Henricus Stephanus.
    1 more example

    1974: Plato [aut.] and Desmond Lee [tr.], The Republic, Translator’s Introduction, page 56 (2ⁿᵈ 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.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Stephanus number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stephanus%20number

MLA

“Stephanus number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stephanus%20number. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Stephanus number,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Stephanus%20number.

Source: Stephanus number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.