Etymologically
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glory

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈɡlɔː.ri/, US /ˈɡlɔːr.i/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English gloire, glorie, borrowed from Old French glorie (“glory of God; renown; splendour”) (modern French gloire),[2][3][4] a learned borrowing of Latin glōria (“fame, renown, great praise”),[3][2] a word of uncertain origin.[2][3] De Vaan, as cited by Etymonline, notes that a derivation from *gnōria “knowledge, fame”, related to gnārus “known”, fits the meaning but not the sounds.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The splendour of God or Christ, and praise offered to God: probably before 1200 in Barnhart, in the Ancrene Riwle; about 1200 in Etymonline.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The Christian senses come from the Latin Bible's use of gloria for Greek doxa, which had taken on a Hebrew sense of brightness and majesty.[2] Boastfulness or vainglory is from 1362,[5] and exalted praise or honour accorded by others from about 1385.[5][4] Something that brings honour, a source of pride, is from 1382,[5] and splendour or magnificence from the late 14th century.[2] A halo or nimbus is from the 17th century.[4] The verb, to rejoice or exult, is from about 1350, from Old French gloriier and Latin glōriārī “to boast”.[3][2] Glory as a devout exclamation, short for glory be to God, is from 1816,[5] Old Glory for the American flag from 1862, and glory days by 1970.[2] Old English expressed the idea with wuldor.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1200 – the glory of God.[3]
  • c. 1350 – the verb, to rejoice.[3]
  • 1362 – vainglory.[5]
  • c. 1385 – honour, renown.[5]
  • 17th century – a halo.[4]
  • 1816 – glory! as an exclamation.[5]
  • 1862 – Old Glory.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Great honour, praise or fame.
  2. Something that brings honour or is a source of pride: the glory of the collection.
  3. Praise and worship given to God.
  4. Great beauty or splendour.
  5. The happiness of heaven.

Verb

  1. (glory in) To rejoice proudly in something.

Word family

  • gloryingly
  • Gloria
  • glorification
  • glorify
  • glorious
  • glory-of-the-snow
  • glory-of-the-sun
  • vainglory

Usage notes

In Scots, Irish and Yorkshire dialect my glory! is an exclamation of surprise.[6]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  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 g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)