almanac

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ˈɔl.mə.næk], [ˈæl.mə.næk] (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English almenak,^[2][3] from Medieval Latin almanach,^{[2][4][5][3][6]} a word of uncertain origin.^[5] The usual explanation traces it to Andalusian Arabic al-manākh (“calendar”),^[4][5][6] perhaps from Koine Greek almenichiakón (“calendar”),^[2][4][5] which is said to be of Coptic origin.^[4][5] Barnhart gives the route as Spanish almanaque and Catalan almanac.^[4] Etymonline notes a case that the word was pseudo-Arabic, coined by astronomers in Paris in the mid-13th century.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A book of permanent astronomical tables (late 14th century).^[5][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Medieval almanacs were tables for calculating the movements of the heavens.^[5][7] One-year versions with calendars and church feasts appear in the 16th century,^[5] astrological and weather predictions in the 16th and 17th,^[5] and the modern books of useful statistics are a later development.^[5][6]

Timeline

• mid-13th century – recorded in Anglo-Latin.^[5]
• about 1391 – English, a book of astronomical tables.^[7][4]
• 16th century – one-year almanacs with calendars.^[5]
• 1611 – almanac-maker.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A yearly publication with a calendar and astronomical and weather information, such as sunrises, tides and phases of the moon.
2. A yearly reference book of facts and statistics, in one field or many.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press