xenophanes

English - English

Definition of xenophanes in English English dictionary

By extension, a profound or transformative religious thinker

A Greek given name

The pre-Socratic philosopher Xenophanes of Colophon

A Greek philosopher and a poet

Greek philosopher (560-478 BC)

Related Terms

Xenophanes of Colophon

born 560, Colophon, Ionia died 478 BC Greek poet, religious thinker, and reputed precursor of philosophy of the Eleatics. Though some critics consider Parmenides the founder of the Eleatic school, Xenophanes' philosophy, which found expression primarily in the poetry he recited on his travels, probably anticipated Parmenides' views. Fragments of his epics reflect his contempt for anthropomorphism and for popular acceptance of Homeric mythology

Hyphenation

Xe·noph·a·nes

Etymology

() From Ancient Greek Ξενοφάνης (Xenophanēs). The name means “of foreign appearance” and is composed of ξένος (ksenos, “foreign”) + φαίνω (phainō, “appear”).