horoscope

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhɒ.ɹə.skəʊp/ (UK); /ˈhɔ.ɹəˌskoʊp/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French horoscope,^[2][3][4][5] from Latin hōroscopus,^{[2][3][4][6][5]} from Ancient Greek ὡροσκόπος (hōroskópos, “nativity; observer of the hour of birth”),^{[2][3][4][6][5]} from Ancient Greek ὥρα (hṓra, “hour, season”) + σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”).^{[2][3][4][6][5]} The word had been used in late Old English and Middle English in the Latin form horoscopum, but the modern form is a reborrowing.^[4][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In astrology, an observation of the sky and the configuration of the planets at a certain moment, especially a person's birth (c. 1050, in the Latin form).^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

The notion is of “observing the hour” of someone's birth.^[4] Old English glossed Latin horoscopus with tīdscēawere, “time-shower”.^[4] The French-derived form appears in 1568.^[3] From the chart itself the word came to mean the forecast drawn from it, as in a newspaper's horoscope.^[2][6][8] In the 17th century it was also applied to dials and tables showing the hours.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – horoscopus, an astrological observation.^[7][3]
• 14th century – Middle English horoscopum.^[6]
• 1561 – horoscoper, an astrologer.^[7]
• 1568 – horoscope.^[3]
• 1650s – horoscopy, casting nativities.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The aspect of the planets and signs of the zodiac at a given moment, such as a person's birth, or a diagram of it, used by astrologers.
2. An astrological forecast of a person's future or character based on such a diagram.

Related words

• hour
• scope
• astrology
• zodiac
• telescope

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House