dynasty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɪnəsti/ (UK); /ˈdaɪnəsti/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English dynastie, borrowed from Middle French dynastie or Late Latin dynastīa,^[2][3][4] from Ancient Greek δυναστεία (dunasteía, “power, lordship”),^[2][3][4] from δυνάστης (dunástēs, “ruler, chief”) (see dynast),^[2][3] from δύναμαι (dúnamai, “to have power, be able”) (see dynamic),^[2][4] which is of unknown origin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A succession of rulers of the same line: 1460 in the OED, before 1464 in Barnhart, the mid-15th century in Etymonline.^[5][2][3] It replaced the earlier dynastia, recorded before 1387 in Trevisa's translation of Higden's Polychronicon, probably taken directly from Greek.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the sense of lordship or sovereignty it is from 1613, now rare or obsolete.^[5] Figurative and transferred uses, as a powerful family that keeps its position for generations, are from 1800.^[5][6] Dynast is from the 17th century, and dynastic from 1828.^[4][2]

Timeline

• before 1387 – dynastia.^[2]
• 1460 – dynasty, a line of rulers.^[5]
• 1613 – lordship, power (obsolete).^[5]
• 1800 – a powerful family (figurative).^[5]
• 1828 – dynastic.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A succession of rulers from the same family or line: an Egyptian dynasty.
2. A family or group that keeps power or prominence for several generations.

Word family

• dynastic
• dynastically

Related words

• dynast
• dynamic
• dynamo
• dynamite

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin