LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
Academy · Biography & Mythology

Terpsion

Τερψίων

(Τερψίων), a Megarian, mentioned by Suidas (s. v. Σωκράτης) as one of the disciples of Socrates. Plutarch also refers to him (de Gen. Socr. p. 581a.). It is doubtless this Terpsion who is introduced by Plato as one of the interlocutors in the Theaetetus.

Another person of this name is mentioned by Athenaeus (viii. p. 337) as the first author of a γαστρολογία, giving direction as to the viands from which it was advisable to abstain. A notable impromptu verse of his is recorded: Ἦ χρὴ χελώνης ἢ φαγεῖν ἢ μὴ φαγεῖν, which actually attained to the distinction of a various reading even in antiquity.

From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.