φιλονικέω
διὸ δὴ πᾶς ἀνὴρ σπουδαῖος τῶν ὄντων σπουδαίων πέρι πολλοῦ δεῖ μὴ γράψας ποτὲ ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἰς φθόνον καὶ ἀπορίαν καταβαλεῖ → And this is the reason why every serious man in dealing with really serious subjects carefully avoids writing, lest thereby he may possibly cast them as a prey to the envy and stupidity of the public | Therefore every man of worth, when dealing with matters of worth, will be far from exposing them to ill feeling and misunderstanding among men by committing them to writing
English (LSJ)
A to be fond of victory, engage in rivalry, be contentious, mostly in bad sense, φρονήματι φιλονικῶν ἠναντιοῦτο out of contentiousness, party spirit, Th.5.43 (-νεικ- codd.), cf. Lys.22.8 (-νεικ- codd.); φιλονικοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐ ζητοῦντας τὸ προκείμενον Pl.Grg.457d, cf. R.499e, Lys.33.4 (-νεικ- codd.); οἵτινες . . νενικηκότες ἤδη . . οὕτω φιλονικοῦσιν (v.l. -νεικ-) , ὥστε . . X.HG6.3.16: of the state, φ. παρὰ τὸ ἐπιεικές Democr.252; φ. ἄνευ γνώμης Thrasym.1.—Constr., abs., v. supr.; φ. περὶ παιδικῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους Lys.3.40 (-νεικ- codd.); πρὸς ἀρετήν Pl.Lg.731a; οὐ πρός γε αὐτὸ τοῦτο (ὃ add. codd. opt.) φιλονικοῦμεν, ὅπως . . Id.Phlb.14b; φ. περὶ πάντων, περὶ κάλλους, Isoc.2.25, 10.48; ἀριστείων πέρι Pl.Lg.935c, cf. D.5.25: simply c. acc., φ. τὸ ἐμὲ εἶναι τὸν ἀποκρινόμενον to be eager that I should be the answerer, Pl.Prt.360e; the acc. is mostly a neut. Adj., τὰ χείρω φ. to be so obstinate as to choose the worst, Th.5.111 (-νεικ- codd.); μηδὲν φιλονίκει D.20.144 (-νεικ- codd.); φ. ὅπως . . X.Mem.2.3.17: c. inf., φ. ἐπιδεῖξαι Plu.Pomp.31; ἐφιλονίκησαν (v.l. -νεικ-) αὐτούς is dub. in Arist.Pol.1306b1. 2 in good sense, ἁμιλλώμενοι καὶ φ. X. Cyr.1.4.15; περὶ καλλίστων φ. Isoc.4.85; φ. ὅπως . . Id.5.113.
German (Pape)
[Seite 1283] den Sieg lieben, nach dem Vorrange streben; Isocr. 4, 85 nach Bekker, vulg. -νεικέω; auch sonst als v. l. hiervon.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
φῐλονικέω: -νικία, -νικος, ἴδε ἐν λέξει φιλόνεικος, ἐν τέλει.
