exodus

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛksədəs/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin exodus,^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἔξοδος (éxodos, “a going out, departure”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek ἐξ- (ex-, “out”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way, road”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The title of the second book of the Old Testament, which tells of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt (late Old English, about 1000).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The book's name passed to the event itself, the departure of the Israelites under Moses.^[7][6] From the 1620s the word was used generally for a departure,^[7][4] especially the migration of large numbers of people from one country or region to another.^[4][7]

Timeline

• c. 1000 – the book of the Bible.^[7][3][4]
• 1623–6 – a departure in general.^[7][4]
• before 1646 – the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.^[7]
• 1831 – a mass departure, especially of emigrants.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A departure of a large number of people; mass emigration.
2. (capitalized) The departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses.
3. (capitalized) The second book of the Bible, telling of this departure.

Related words

• exit
• episode
• method
• odometer

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 c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press