phront-, phorntid-; phronemo-, phron-

(Greek: thought, care, attention; think, thinking, contemplation)



The Greeks had a word, phrontisterion, to indicate a place for thought and study or a "thinking-shop" (think tank?). Aristophanes (c. 450-c. 380 B.C.), was an Athenian dramatist who is known to have written more than 40 comedies that gave satiric expression to his strong, conservative prejudices against certain trends and personalities in the Athens of his day. It was this Aristophanes who used the Greek equivalent of phrontistery to ridicule the school of Socrates.

The Greek noun was derived from phrontistes (philosopher, profound thinker, one with intellectual pretensions) from the verb phrontizein (to reflect), based on phrontis (thought, reflection). The word phrontist applies to a "deep thinker," a "person involved in study, reflection, meditation," and it, too, in its Greek form, was applied ironically by Aristophanes to Socrates himself.


1000 Most Obscure Words by Norman W. Schur
(New York: Facts On File, 1990), p. 164.

philophronesis (s) (noun) (no pl)
The use of gentle speech or humble submission in order to mitigate, to calm, or to mollify anger: Tony was evidently good at philophronesis because he could assuage and soften the agitation and infuriation successfully between the neighbours.
phronemophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An abnormal fear of thinking or of having an embarrassing thought: After the very bad experience with her cousin, Jenny decided never to ruminate or reason about it again, dreading the memories of the past, and therefore developed phronemopobia.
phronesis
1. Soundness of mind or of judgment.
2. Wisdom in choosing aims and in the ways of achieving those aims.
phronosis
The inability to stop thinking about a particular subject.
phrontifugic (adjective), more phrontifugic, most phrontifugic
A reference to banishing or relieving anxiety by escaping from one's thoughts.
phrontistery
A place for thinking, contemplating, or studying.
phrontistogenic, phrontistogenous
Caused by anxiety.
phrontistothymia
Neurosis caused by subjection to persistent anxiety.