lysistrata means A comedy by Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, a comic account of one woman's (Lysistrata) extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War by denying men sex. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why this word is great
LYSISTRATA — [Proper Noun] A female given name, immortalized by the shrewd heroine of Aristophanes' comedy who orchestrates a sex strike to end the Peloponnesian War; by extension, it denotes any woman who wields intimate denial as a tool of political coercion. From the Ancient Greek Λυσιστράτη (Lusistrátē), from λύσις (lúsis, "a releasing, disbanding") and στρατός (stratós, "army"), thus meaning "army disbander". Unlike a "suffragette," whose struggle is channeled through organized electoral politics, or a "pacifist," whose opposition is often a matter of passive principle, a Lysistrata is a tactical pragmatist, deploying a deeply personal weapon to achieve a public ceasefire. She is the cool calculation behind a withheld kiss, the conspiratorial whisper over a wine jug, the collective turning of keys that transforms the domestic sphere into a theatre of siege—a testament to the ancient calculus that peace is won not by meeting force with force, but by denying the force of meeting.
name
- A comedy by Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, a comic account of one woman's (Lysistrata) extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War by denying men sex.“The authors have drawn to some extent on the Lysistrata to aid them, but have fallen as far short of the fun as of the indecency of that memorable play.”
- A female given name from Ancient Greek.“I drop the note on the floor and take another sheet and write "YES. Lysistrata Lee."”
noun
- A woman who withholds sex in order to get her way.“Lysistratas among the Indian [Iroquois] women proclaimed a boycott on lovemaking and childbearing.”